Kitty Daze
by rubisora18117
Summary: Everyone has their secrets. Jonouchi, unfortunately, found out the Kaiba brother’s secret. Looks like the cat is out of the bag, literally! Meow! Shonenai. puppyshipping. completed
1. Daze 0  Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Sorry, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of it's characters. There is also something I don't own which I can't say yet because it might give away the surprise.

**Random talk:** Hello, minna-san! Rubi here with a new story! There's an interesting tale about how I came up with this idea. I'll tell you about it in the next chapter. What you need to know is this: yes, in some sense, this is a crack fic. Once you read the next chapter, you'll be asking, "What the heck was she on?" because it's that weird. I'll talk to you guys after this really short prologue.

**Warning:** This fic contains Shonen-ai, language, mild violence, AU, OCs, OOC moments, and general weirdness.

* * *

Daze 0: Prologue

It seemed that Kaiba manor ran on a schedule. In the morning, the Kaiba brothers would wake up, eat breakfast, and leave for school. While they were gone, the staff would commence with their jobs. After school, Mokuba would head home while Kaiba went to the office Kaiba would return home around ten, make sure Mokuba was in bed sleeping, and then continue working until around midnight. That was how life in the Kaiba manor was for six days out of the week. Sunday differed by the fact that there was no school. So, Kaiba would take off and hang out with Mokuba.

But for one day out of the month, this daily ritual is ignored. The reason as to why this happens is unknown except to a few. Those few who know are also the ones who work in the Kaiba manor.

* * *

"It's late, Nii-sama," Mokuba said as he climbed onto Kaiba's bed. He noticed that his brother was still working on his laptop. "You should go to sleep. It's almost midnight."

"I know, Mokuba," Kaiba responded. "I just need to finish this code. If I do, the machine should be completed by tomorrow morning." This made the younger Kaiba smile.

"Can we test it tomorrow?" he asked with excitement.

"That is _if_ I finish."

"Then hurry up!"

"Let me guess… You didn't finish your essay that is due tomorrow. And I don't want to hear you couldn't write it because of today. You had plenty of time yesterday."

"Wow… You really do have me nailed this time."

"You're just predictable, that's all. There, finished. Now. Let's get to bed and hope it works in the morning."

"Okay, nii-sama. But lets get some smoked salmon first! I asked the chef to leave some on ice."

"Salmon does sound nice. Alright, but you go straight to bed afterwards."

"Hai! Let's go, then!"

* * *

TBC

**Random talk:** Heh… Okay, so there isn't much in this chapter… But trust me, almost everything in this chapter is important. (Even the part with the salmon!) So, give this fic a chance. Please review!

Rubi-chan


	2. Daze 1  Neko

**Disclaimer:** I, Rubi, do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. I also did not come up with the concept that I'll explain at the end of the chapter.

**Random talk: **The class I describe in the first part of this chapter is based off real life. It wasn't my fault I wrote this in class! Okay, so it was. I was one of the few that paid attention, most of the time. At one point in the school year, there were these boys that were playing Pokemon on their Game Boy Advance. We were telling the teacher to pull the link cable. Ah… Good times…

**Note:** **(This means something is typed on a screen of some sort.)

* * *

**

Daze 1

Neko

"And that, class, is Coulomb's Law. (1) Any questions?" the teacher asked. As usual, few were actually paying attention. Some of the students were asleep, others were talking to their friends, and about five were playing with their Game Boys. Just as he was about to yell at the class, the final bell rang. The teacher sighed in defeat and dismissed the class.

"Freedom!" Jonouchi yelled.

"Not so fast, Jonouchi-san," the teacher said. "I have a request from another student."

"Fine… I'll meet you outside, Yuugi."

"Okay," the short teen said.

Yuugi left the classroom along with his two other friends, Honda and Anzu. They didn't have to wait long for the blond teen. A few minutes after waiting outside, Jonouchi joined them in a fowl mood.

"You wouldn't guess what he wanted me to do!" Jonouchi yelled. "Kaiba's going to be out for the rest of the week and he wanted me to deliver his homework!"

"Feel sorry for you," Honda said. "Well, see ya later!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Anzu said. "We're going with him. Who knows what kind of trouble he would get into."

"Plus, what if something is wrong with Kaiba-kun?" Yuugi added.

"Fine! I'll go too," Honda sighed.

"Thanks guys," Jonouchi said.

"Excuse me," a man in a suit said. "Which one of you is Jonouchi Katsuya?"

"I am."

"Perfect. Kaiba-sama asked me to come and get you. Your friends are allowed to come."

"Uh, thank you…"

The man led the teens to the waiting limo. As soon as they got in, Honda and Jonouchi went to work figuring out every little button. Anzu and Yuugi just talked about random things. It didn't take as long as they thought to get to Kaiba Manor. The driver was happy, to say the least, that the group of friends said they would walk the rest of the way. Before he left, the driver opened the gate for them.

"Thanks again!" Jonouchi yelled. "Now, let's get this over with!"

"Look, there's a cat with a bell," Anzu pointed out. On top of the large wall was a brown cat wearing a blue ribbon around its neck with a bell on the end. Its blue eyes stared at Yuugi-tachi. (2)

"Never thought Kaiba would be a cat person," Honda said, watching the cat jump down and walk up to Jonouchi. It started to paw the blond.

"Huh? What's wrong, boy?" Jonouchi asked. He picked up the cat. "You kinda remind me of this cat I used to know."

"You had a cat?" Yuugi asked.

"Not really. There were these cats that used to live in my neighborhood. Shizuka and I used to take care of them. There was this one cat that was really clingy to me. I wish I could remember what we named him."

"Kawaii!" (3) Anzu said. "And Neko-chan here is super cute!" (4) The cat hissed at the brunet girl. It even looked like he was glaring at her.

"Did that cat just glare?" Honda asked. He brought his face close to the cat. "That demon has to belong to Kaiba…" This made the cat scratch the brunet's face. Jonouchi laughed at his friend.

"Serves you right!" Jonouchi said. "This sweetie here couldn't belong to Kaiba. He loves me!"

"Doesn't mean a thing!" Honda yelled.

"Guys, we came here to give Kaiba-kun his homework," Yuugi said.

"Right," Jonouchi said. "We better get going. We should bring Kaiba's cat with us, if it is his cat. I'm sure he doesn't want to walk all the way back to the house."

The group headed to the mansion. They decided to nickname the cat Neko Kaiba because he acted so much like Kaiba only that he liked Jonouchi. During the walk to the mansion, Neko Kaiba hissed at Anzu for calling him Neko-chan, scratched Honda for calling him a demon, and glared at Yuugi for no reason.

"Finally!" Honda yelled. "Get rid of that cat, Jonouchi. There's no reason why it should be with us anymore!"

"Ah, you're here," Isono said when he opened the door. "Please, come in. Kaiba-san is busy right now, but you are free to wonder around for the time being."

"Really?" Jonouchi asked. "Woot! Take me to the kitchen!" Neko Kaiba wiggled out of the blond arms. The cat ran in one direction, but stopped, turned around and meowed.

"I think Neko-chan wants us to follow him," Anzu said, receiving a hiss from said cat.

"I don't trust that demon," Honda said.

"He's just a cat," Jonouchi said. "A smart one at that. If he can take me to the kitchen, I don't care! Hey, Neko Kaiba! Wait up!" They watched their blond friend run after the cat.

"I guess he'll never change…" Yuugi said.

A younger sounding meow came from behind the three remaining friends. They turned around to see a smaller cat sitting, staring up at them. The kitten had black fur and strange violet-gray eyes. Around its neck was a similar ribbon and bell as Neko Kaiba.

"Hey, there's another one!" Anzu said. "This one reminds me of Mokuba…. Look at his eyes!"

"Your right…" Yuugi said. "Hey, do you think you could take us to the kitchen? Our friend followed the brown cat there."

The cat meowed and ran off in the same direction as Neko Kaiba. Only this time, he waited for the others to follow.

"Hey guys!" Jonouchi said, smiling. He was in a middle of a sandwich with a soda can in his hand. Neko Kaiba was lapping milk from a bowl. The black cat joined the other, drinking from the bowl as well.

"Wow, huge kitchen," Honda said. "Where's the pantry?" He headed for a door.

"Wait! That's not the pantry!" It was too late. Honda had already opened the door. Behind it was stairs going down.

"What's this doing here? Why are the stairs to the basement in the kitchen?"

"How should we know?" Anzu said. "And don't you think about it! We are not going down there!"

"Look, it won't hurt if we went down," Honda said. "Besides, it might just be storage."

Eventually, they all decided to go down. The black cat jumped onto Jonouchi's shoulder while Neko Kaiba jumped into his arms. None of the teens noticed the glare the cats sent to the brunette boy.

* * *

No one expected what the basement looked like. Several strange machines scattered around the room. There was a larger machine in the middle that looked like something from the movies. A large screen was built into one wall with a control counsel was right in front of it. Cages of various sizes lined one wall. The strange part was that there was a mini classroom set up in one corner with a chalkboard and desks. Another corner was set up like a play area. There were couches, beanbags, and numerous toys on the floor and shelves.

"What's with this place?" Honda said. "This place looks like some kind of mad scientist lab!"

"That's stretching it a bit," Anzu said. "But it doesn't seem like something Kaiba would have."

"Wonder why Kaiba has it," Jonouchi said. The two cats leapt off the blond and went over to the play area. The black one jumped onto a light blue bean bag while the other went to the nearest couch. "Looks like those two are at home."

"Maybe they were from some kind of experiment Gozaburo had," Honda said. "Just look at all those cages! Who knows what that psycho really did!"

"Honda-kun does have a point," Yuugi said. "It's sad to think about that possibility though."

"We should leave," Anzu said. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Relax! I bet none of this stuff works anyway!" Honda said. He leaned on the counsel for the machine in the center. By doing this, he pressed a button that caused it to start up. Neko Kaiba dashed over to it as a ray of light shot out. It struck the first person in its path, which just happened to be Jonouchi. The room was filled with a blinding light.

As soon as the light came, it went away. It took awhile before Jonouchi opened his eyes. Evidently it took longer than Anzu since she was the first one to speak when his eyes were still adjusting.

"Hey, when did this cat come down here?" Anzu asked, pointing down at Jonouchi.

"What are you talking about?" Jonouchi questioned, very annoyed. "Wait, is she pointing _down_ at me?"

"I can explain everything," Mokuba said from behind.

"I bet he's going to faint," Kaiba said. "Damn it! Why won't this idiot put be down! At least let me scratch him for his stupidity!"

Jonouchi almost did faint at the moment he looked at Kaiba. Honda was _holding_ a miniature version of the CEO. Kaiba was wearing a simple, white, long-sleeved trench coat with two belts sown on by his waste, black v-neck tank top, black leather pants, and black boots. What got Jonouchi's attention was the fact that Kaiba had a pair of cat ears and tail that matched his chocolate hair. That and the blue ribbon around his neck with a silver bell on it.

"Kaiba has cat ears and a tail…" Something suddenly brushed against Jonouchi's hand. He grabbed it only to see it was a golden tail. A tail, when he followed it with his hand, attached to him. "What the…"

"Look, I said I can explain!" Mokuba yelled. "You see, you're a cat."

Jonouchi promptly passed out.

* * *

"That was a weird dream," Jonouchi said as soon as he woke up.

"Sorry, that wasn't a dream," Mokuba said. Jonouchi noticed Mokuba's outfit wasn't one of his normal ones. It was a basic blue and green color schema. Generic light blue cargo jeans, blue sneakers, and a white shirt was a far cry from his usual striped clothes. Over the shirt was a aqua green, short-sleeve hoodie jacket. To top it all off was his card locket hanging around his neck.

"Are you almost finished, Isono?" Kaiba asked.

"Yes, Kaiba-san," Isono said, hunched over the large computer console.

"Why do you keep calling that demon Kaiba?" Honda asked.

"All will be explained soon. There, done! Anything else?"

"No. I'm sure you would like to stick around to see the reactions."

"If you don't mind, sir."

"Your choice. Mokuba, Jonouchi, you guys coming?"

"Why is Kaiba calling me by my name? No dog insults?" Jonouchi pondered.

"That wouldn't make sense, would it?" Mokuba pointed out. "You're a cat. In actuality, we would be cursing at you. Kinda like calling someone a bastard."

"Let's get started," Kaiba said. "The sooner we finish this, the faster I can finish the coding to turn Jonouchi back into the mutt he is." Kaiba smirked as he started to type.

"Hey!"

**(Before we get started, I want to say I am not some kind of demon like the baka over there keeps saying. Now, let me just say who is who before we start Q and A time. I'm sure you have all noticed the mutt is gone. That is because the blond cat **_**is**_** Jonouchi. The black cat is Mokuba, and I am Kaiba. I'll answer any questions that I can.)**

"I told you that cat was a demon!" Honda yelled. Kaiba shook his head.

"That was different," Mokuba whispered. "But I guess that was expected from Honda." Jonouchi laughed.

"So, what exactly was this basement used for?" Anzu asked.

**(Back when Gozaburo was alive, he had a secret experiment going on. It was to see if humans could ****obtain**** certain attributes. Hence all of the cages. The mock classroom in the corner was used to teach those who were once animals all they needed to know about being human.)**

"This is better than what people come up with for Sci-fi movies!" Honda yelled.

"Honda-kun, that's a little mean," Yuugi scolded. "For all we know, Kaiba-kun and Mokuba-kun could have been a part of this experiment! Wait, we can't hear you, but Isono-san can. Why is that?"

**(You were right about Mokuba and I being a part in the experiment. Isono was also. That is why he can hear us as though we haven't changed. It is a side effect that can come in handy at times.)**

"Out of curiosity, why a cat?" Anzu asked.

**(Easy. Mokuba and I are **_**really**_** cats.)**

Silence filled the room. Kaiba smirked at everyone's reaction. Yuugi was shocked, but took it as if it was an everyday thing. Well, when you shared your body with an ancient pharaoh, this would be normal. Anzu looked like she was going into shock, which was a plus. Honda was at a loss of words, which was worth two pluses. But his favorite reaction had to be Jonouchi's.

"Uh, Nii-sama… Jonouchi fainted again."

* * *

TBC

(1) Coulomb's Law – This is what I get for writing the first chapter in Physics

several years ago. Can't remember the law exactly, but it deals with electricity.

(2) Yuugi-tachi – literally, Yuugi and friends (or company)

(3) Kawaii – cute

(4) Neko-chan - kitty

**Random talk:** Okay. I have no clue if anyone has heard this before, but I just have to get this off my chest one more time. I went to this summer school to get a jump start on collage. The USB ports on my computer were crap so we took it in for repairs since it was still under warranty. Waited three weeks (by then I had started collage) just to find out they fried my computer! Well, they said that the Motherboard was fried. Thing is, it was working fine that same morning when I took it in! Thankfully, I had saved all of my fics to a flash drive before hand. Problem is, it wasn't the most update version. Bright side, this chapter was the only one affected. I had no problems redoing this chapter. Hell, I think it's even better!

Oh, right… I did say I would explain where I got this idea. Well, I was waiting for a friend to call one night years ago (We're talking back when I had White Rose Memory, which none of you know of, still up). I was thinking random ideas for RPs. For some odd reason, I thought about this show called Magical Meow Meow Taruto. (Anyone know that show? It's really Shojou-ish. The whole show is really cutesy.) In that show, cats look like miniature humans with cat ears and tails, and speak like humans to one another. To us humans, they look and sound like, well, cats! That got me thinking. What if the Kaiba brothers (excluding Noa since I had enough ideas with Noa in it) were really cats? Hence this really strange story.

So, in order to answer the question I have a feeling you are thinking, I was running on lack of sleep and was extremely bored when I came up with this idea.

Rubi-chan


	3. Daze 2 Tori

**Disclaimer:** Do I look like Kazuki Takahshi? No. Therefore, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

**Random talk:** So, the ending to the first chapter was different before I went back to how I originally had it. No big since I just briefly introduced some OCs. Thing is, I just decided to push back introducing them by a chapter. Instead, I'm bringing an OC that was from an old fic I scraped that was going to be in the sequel that I scrapped. It's more like I'm combining the two to make one big fic! How I had this planed was that this fic was about seven chapters plus the prologue and epilogue. Now, I have no clue how many chapters there will be. Oh well…

* * *

Daze 2

Tori

Jonouchi was out for the rest of the day and didn't wake up until the next day. He found himself on a large bed in a very large room. Then he remembered about the day before. It was hard to believe that the two richest teens in Japan were really cats. Not only that, but he was a cat at that moment.

His ears twitched when he heard the door open. There in the door way was a girl around his age with blond hair down to her knees. Her outfit was a cross between Gothic Lolita and a maid uniform, completed with leather, button-up boots. Violet eyes shined with a mischievous glow.

"Bet you feel like Alice after taking the potion," the girl said. "Or was it the candy…? It's been awhile since I've actually seen or read the story."

"Who the hell are you?" Jonouchi asked.

"Falcon Tori. You must be Jonouchi Katsuya. Mokuba told me to watch over you today since both of them were busy today."

"You can hear me? That means…"

"Yup. Came after the boys. Actually, over half the staff here was actually part of the project. So, what do you wanna do? Seto tells me you're into Duel Monsters. I'm sure he would let us test his new hologram product."

"Is it possible for me to play? Don't I actually have paws?"

"Yeah. That's why it takes two cats to duel for one deck. That's why Seto made this new system so everything is a hologram. All you need to do to is insert the deck into the machine and your whole deck becomes virtual! It's so cool!"

"Okay, I guess. But I don't have my deck. I left it in my bag."

"Which is right on the desk there, baka." (1) Tori laughed at Jonouchi's expression for how stupid he was for not noticing it before. "So, shall we go?"

* * *

"And that brings your life points to zero," Tori said. 

"No way," Jonouchi muttered. "I can't believe you beat my Red Eyes! Even with that boost that Mountain card in play gave it! ((1))"

"Hey, not everything is about monsters. Card combinations can make the difference. You almost had me for a second there. If I didn't draw that Bad Reaction to Simochi I would have lost! ((2))"

"Yeah… You know, you're the second person I know who has that many Harpies in their deck."

"I know. Not my fault the work really great with my aerial deck. So, what do you think about the new system?"

"Kaiba really out did himself on this! It makes dueling so easy in this form! Not very portable, though…"

"Can't help it," Mokuba said. "Surprisingly, it takes a lot tech just to operate. We're talking cameras and touch sensors."

"Hey, Mokuba," Tori said. "You were right. He is just as good as you said he was. He actually almost beat me!"

"Try telling that to Kaiba!" Jonouchi whined. "He still thinks I'm a third rate duelist!" Tori just stared at the blond cat.

"Long story," Mokuba said. "I'll tell you later."

"You better. Seto still is working on the coding?"

"Yup. You know him… Once he starts a project, it takes me getting kidnapped to tear him away from it." Both blonds erupted in laughter.

"The sad thing is," Jonouchi said through his laughter, "it might actually be true!"

"Laugh it up," Kaiba said from the doorway. "I guess I'll just eat all the salmon Akira made for lunch. Heard there was also a nice big bowl of udon."

"Shut up while you're ahead," Tori said.

"I'm with her," Jonouchi added.

"Same here," Mokuba said. "You better not touch my salmon…"

"You really think I'm an idiot…"

"Yes," three voices replied at once.

"Well, at least when it comes to you're health," Mokuba added.

"Ha ha. Are you three coming?"

"Lead the way," Tori said. "This place is way to big to remember every twist and turn."

"It takes about a year," Mokuba said. "Can you give me a lift?"

"Lazy bum. I'm guessing Blondie over here wants a lift, too."

"Hey! You shouldn't talk!" Jonouchi yelled. "But that would be nice."

Tori laughed as she kneeled down to pick up Jonouchi. Mokuba climbed up her back and lay on her head. Kaiba sighed at the laziness of the two other cats, making the others laugh.

Their journey didn't seem like a long time, but not for Kaiba. He had to suffer hearing the conversation of the two blonds and his brother. It seemed that Jonouchi was getting along with Tori quite well. Of course, it seemed that he could get along with basically anyone.

"Ah! I see you found them, Seto-kun!" a guy in a chief uniform said. "Tori-chan! It's been months!"

"Akira! You look good as always! You better still be able to cook. If not, I might just have to cook."

"No you don't!" Mokuba yelled. "It took us weeks to clean up this place after the last time!"

"Oh, I have got to hear this!" Jonouchi said.

"After you guys eat," Akira said. "I still have to work on the food for tomorrow."

"That's right, tomorrow is your day," Mokuba muttered.

"What does he mean by that?" Jonouchi asked.

"Remember how I mentioned there were some side affects due to the experiment?" Kaiba asked.

"Faintly. You said it was the reason why Isono could hear us. Wait… That's why Akira here can understand us, right?"

"Correct. That isn't the only side affect though. Once a month, based on the phases of the moon, we return to our original form for one whole day. I'm still trying to figure out how that happens."

"We just accept it as it is," Tori said.

"There must be a lot of cats around here," Jonouchi muttered.

"Oh, we're not all cats," Akira said. "Isono-sempai and I were once one of the security dogs. Well, at least Isono-sempai was. I was too mild in manner to make it as a one. Doesn't mean I don't know when I have be protecting someone."

"He really wouldn't even hurt a fly," Kaiba said. "Not much of a guard dog if you ask me."

"Too true. Hey, why don't the four of you go to the game room while I finish making the food? I really don't like having Tori here while I'm cooking."

"That was only one time!"

* * *

It was late at night when Jonouchi returned to his room. It was amazing how the Kaiba brothers were able to play various video games using normal controllers. It still took two of them to use a Wii remote though, which was funny to watch. 

The first thing he noticed was the balcony door open. Being a cat, he wanted to know why it was open. There, standing on the railing, was Tori looking up at the moon. The wind was blowing softly, making her hair and dress dance. A faint smile graced her face.

"Wasn't today great?" she asked. "It's been ages since I've had fun like this. Maybe even years."

"Yeah, must suck staying here," Jonouchi said. "Mokuba said that since you guys don't have much of a family, many of you stay here most of the time."

"Kinda. It's almost midnight."

"I guess tomorrow is your day."

"Not exactly. Why don't you google my name later? I better be leaving. Take care of the guys. You should know how. You'll see what I mean."

"Okay…"

"Thanks. I'll be seeing you."

Tori turned her head and smiled brightly at the other blond. Then, she started to run on the railing. She jumped off when she reached the end. Jonouchi was panicking since they were on the third floor. What he didn't expect was for her to glow. She started to change.

"Her day was over," Kaiba said from behind. Jonouchi turned around to see the cat CEO. "She was the only one in the experiment that was originally human. They never changed her back before they disbanded the team."

"She's stuck like this?"

"Not for long. I promised to help return her to normal. That's why I've been trying to figure out the coding for the machine. Now, excuse me. I have some work to do."

Kaiba walked away, leaving Jonouchi by himself on the balcony. Jonouchi was shocked. It seemed that Kaiba was able to give compassion to other people besides Mokuba.

* * *

TBC

(1) baka – idiot.

Cards used:

((1)) Mountain – Field spell card. Increases the ATK and DEF of all Dragon, Winged Beast, and Thunder-Type monsters by 200 points.

((2)) Bad Reaction to Simochi – Continuous Trap Card. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, the effect of increasing your opponent's Life Points is negated and changed to inflict the same amount of points in Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

**Random talk:** I love Tori! She's kinda the opposite of me. She kicks butt while I run away. So, I gave her my kind of deck. Only difference is she doesn't have a Blue Eyes for obvious reasons… At least she wins with it... Don't get me wrong, I've got great combos! It's just my opponent gets better cards then I do in the beggining...

Oh, her name is kind of a pun… Tori is Japanese for bird. And, as everyone should know, a falcon is a bird. It was before I knew that much about the Japanese names and she was for the this other fic. Oops…

journey maker - Nope. Everyone is going to keep their memories. I can tell you that Jonouchi might be in denial when this is done...

Malik's Bunny Mika - That's all I ask of people. Just give my fics a shot. I won't be hurt (much) if you decide to stop reading. I have another fic in my head that might bring back a different OC for a .hack fic I wrote long ago that really sucked. I haven't decided yet.

TakabiTenshi - Glad you like it! I'm trying once more to post as I go once more, so my updates will be random.

Link Rolongo - Yup! It might be a crack fic, but it's the good kind.

Rubi-chan


	4. Daze 3 Deki

**Disclaimer: **Let's face it; I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

**Random talk: **Sorry for the delay. College is taking up more time than I thought it would. Plus it doesn't help I'm working on other fics at the same time. Not only that, but I was trying to figure out exactly how I had this fic planed out years ago. Yes, years. This idea started at least to form three years ago.

* * *

Daze 3

Deki

It was noon when Mokuba decided to check up on Jonouchi. He suspected that the blond teen was still asleep since said teen hasn't been seen yet by anyone that day. It was only a few minutes ago that his older brother told him about what Tori told Jonouchi.

As he walked into Jonouchi's temporary room, Mokuba could see the laptop one of the maids set up was still on. Google was up on the screen, the words "Tori Falcon" in the search box. The raven haired kitten sighed as he tried to wake up Jonouchi.

"Hm? Mokuba?" Jonouchi asked, lifting his head a little to see Mokuba.

"If you try to search up that name, all you get is about Tori winning some dueling competitions," Mokuba informed. "Try her full name."

"Thanks for the tip. I don't think I want to read another article about her winning one more Duel Monsters tournament."

"No problem. I'll tell you it later so you can look her up. It's lunch time now."

Never before had he seen Jonouchi run so fast. It might have just been the enhancements that came with the form, but that still didn't stop Mokuba from laughing. His laughter was halted when he heard some growling from behind.

"What the hell is that mutt doing here?" the person demanded. "Better yet, why is he like that!"

"I can explain!" Mokuba shouted, too afraid to turn around.

"You better. I came down here since a little birdie told me that you and your brother are back to being cats when it wasn't even your day. I came all the way here to welcome you back to our side and this is the surprise I get! You know what; I'll just go ask Seto-chan. Keep the dog busy."

"Yes, sir!"

"Hey, Mokuba!" the two heard Jonouchi yell. "Aren't you coming or what?" Mokuba sighed as he ran out of the room. He wondered how the blond would take it if he found out he wasn't the only one who was in a gang. Difference was, Jonouchi got out of his.

* * *

Kaiba was working on the machine while his brother and Jonouchi were having lunch. His lap top detected some kind of malfunction occurring within the machine itself. After replacing a few burnt circuits, it was time to see if it would run normally once the coding was done. He had to make sure everything was perfect now that there was one more person to worry about. 

He was concentrating on the task at hand that he didn't even hear the door opening. He finally realized he wasn't alone when arms wrapped around his waist. Kaiba jumped in surprise, making his guest laugh.

"Some welcome, Seto-chan," the man purred.

"Deki… What brings you here?" Kaiba muttered. This made Deki laugh even harder, his arms tightened around Kaiba's waist.

"I come by to see how you are doing and I get the third degree? Is that how you treat me now? No matter. What I want to know is why that dog upstairs and is a cat. He has no right to even consider being one!"

"One of his friends accidentally activated the machine. As soon as I get everything setup to change him back, he'll be human once more."

"Good. So, are you and Mokuba coming back?"

"No. We were actually hoping you guys would want to be human again."

"Why on earth would we want to be those fowl creatures again! At least there are some perks behind being a cat. Actually, there are more good reasons being a cat then human! Plus, it keeps you from that dog."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call him that!"Kaiba hissed as he pushed out of Deki's grip. He turned to glare at the other cat.

"How strange… I know for a fact that you call him names to the same effect," Deki said, giving a smirk that could rival Kaiba's. Kaiba turned away in shame, knowing it was true. "You have no right to say that. I better leave. She's not here any way."

He heard Deki walk away, leaving Kaiba in the silence. Kaiba stood there not moving for a few minutes. He then started to go up the stairs to the kitchen.

"I do it because you ordered me to keep him away," Kaiba muttered.

* * *

Mokuba and Jonouchi were in the kitchen, eating lunch. Mokuba had the radio on to distract Jonouchi from hearing any sounds that might get the blonde's attention. The song currently playing was from a new band that each of the members had some kind of supernatural meaning behind their name and costume. (1)

"Hey, if you guys are cats, who gave you your name?" Jonouchi asked as he munched on some yellow tail sashimi.

"There was a boy who took care of us after our mother died," Mokuba said. "Besides naming us, he fed, played, and washed us. We were happy then."

"What happened?"

"Gozaburo came," Kaiba said as he jumped up to the table.

"Geez, Kaiba! You scared me there," Jonouchi exclaimed.

"That's nice to know. Hm… Thanks for saving me some." Jonouchi snickered at Kaiba due to the fact he and Mokuba at all of the sushi and sashimi already.

"Sorry, Nii-sama!" Mokuba said. "We didn't know if you would join us or not. Come on, Jou. I'll show you how to play Street Fighter in this form!"

Jonouchi nodded and follow the kitten to the game room. Kaiba stayed on the tabletop, watching the two leave. His expression was gentle.

"I never did get the chance to thank you for all those years ago," Kaiba whispered.

What he didn't know was that he was being watched. Deki smirked as he looked into the kitchen from outside in a near by tree. He wasn't surprised when Jonouchi didn't ever hear the doors opening and closing.

"Hm… I think it's time to re-introduce ourselves the dog," Deki said. Six eyes glowed behind him. "What do you think guys?"

* * *

TBC

(1) Um… That's a reference to another fic of mine. Had to put them in some how… Felt guilt that I haven't worked on the sequel in ages, so I decided to mention them.

**Random Talk:** Wow… A lot has changed from what I actually remembered what happened. For one thing, Deki is more of a bastard then I remembered. That and some scenes changed. I also give more hints for future chapters.

One thing you might notice is that this chapter wasn't edited. This may happen from time to time due to the fact that my beta is kinda busy. Thanks for understanding guys!

Rubi-chan


	5. Daze 4 Kyuu

**Disclaimer:** Sorry, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I'm sure you're happy…

**Random talk:** I'm sure I've said before that I wrote part of this story long time ago. Thing is, I lost the notebook when I moved a year ago. So, I was looking for some jewel cases for a CD I burned. When I looked in a box I was sure it was in, I happened to find two of the notebooks I lost including the one for this story! Kinda upset I lost it because I had some great lines in there… I'll just have to find some way to put them in. At least I have a good way to start this fic.

I just realized I keep starting off the chapters with Jonouchi waking up… I can't promise that I would stop doing this. It just worked out that way. I know it will happen again next chapter. Not sure about the one after that… Never finished chapter 5…

So, this is the chapter that I introduce a lot of OCs… Just think about it. Kyuu is Japanese for nine. Some of the OCs actually look like other characters I have no rights over. One even looks like my avi for Gaia Online! That one was totally by accident. Took me a few months to realize they look exactly alike, even having the same name! Or at least part of it… Thank god they don't dress the same… At least, for now…

* * *

Daze 4

Kyuu

Jonouchi woke the next day around noon, just like the day before. For once, no one was there in the room. The problem with this is that he couldn't leave the room unless he wanted to be lost for hours. That is, he thought he was alone.

"Even after all these years, you still sleep in unless someone woke you up with either cold water or some supper loud noise," a child's voice said from behind him. Jonouchi turned around to find a boy who looked a lot like Mokuba sitting on the edge of the bed. He had the same hair color which was a long as his friend, only this boy's bangs covered one of his eyes. His black cat ears twitched at every sound and his black tail swishing constantly. He wore a black turtle neck tank top that showed his midriff and kaki cargo pants along with some black sneakers.

"Who are you exactly?" Jonouchi questioned. "And how did you get in here? I thought the balcony door was locked."

"Nope! It was wide open! As for who I am, you'll just have to follow me! Oh, don't worry about Seto-nii. He may get angry at times, but he'll calm down once he recognize my sent!"

"How do you-" Jonouchi never got to finish his sentence before the boy ran towards the balcony and jumped right off. Jonouchi started to panic due to the fact they were on the second floor. That didn't last too long since he remembered that they were actually cats and not humans. So, the blond teen turned cat did the same as the boy and followed him to the garden.

The boy was moving faster than Jonouchi expected. It didn't help that the boy actually had a head start. That didn't mean the boy could travel so much faster than someone with Jonouchi's long legs. Eventually, he lost the kitten in a small forest.

It still surprised the blond that there was a forest within the Kaiba property. In the middle of this forest was a clearing. A pond with a miniature waterfall decorated the empty area. Koi swam happily in the water.

"Hey, kid! Where are you?" Jonouchi yelled.

"Well, well. If it isn't the little inu," a voice snickered. Jonouchi was about to yell at Kaiba, but realized it could be the teen CEO. For one thing, Kaiba hasn't made a single dog remark since he was changed into a cat.

"Why don't you say that to my face!" Jonouchi snarled.

"Gladly," a guy no older than himself landed in front of him. The newcomer had shoulder length black hair with his bang covering his right eye. His eyes were as red as rubies. He wore a blue vest that was zipped up over a black turtle neck tank top, dark blue jeans, and blue sneakers. He had a smirk that could even put Kaiba to shame.

"And you are?"

"I am Deki, leader and number one of the Nine Lives."

"Oh, how original. I'm guessing you lead a gang of cats that have nine members."

"Hey! We voted on that name!" the boy from before exclaimed running up next to Deki. "By the way, I'm Doki. They call me the Fourth Life! Oh, and just because our names are somewhat similar, I am not related to Deki!"

"But I'm related to Doki!" a kid yelled right behind Jonouchi. This made said teen jump and turn around to face the laughing kitten. There stood a girl who looked exactly like Doki except for the clothes and the long hair tied up in a pony tail by a green scarf. While Doki went for darker clothing, this new kid wore mostly green. She had on a white turtle neck sweater with a green t-shirt over it, mint green jeans, and green sneakers that matched the scarf. "I'm Haru, Doki's identical twin and the Fifth Life! And yes, that does mean I'm a boy."

"You look too much like a girl for your own good," Jonouchi muttered.

"I keep telling him that," a female voice said from above. Jonouchi looked up towards where the voice came from to see a girl with long red hair and blue eyes. Just like every other cat, her ears and tail matched her hair. She wore a red halter top that showed her stomach, a black mini skirt that showed off her legs, brown boots looked slightly worn, blood red choker, and white gloves that reached the middle of her arm with the fingers cut off. She had a slightly bored expression on her face. "Name's Sora, Sixth life."

"Don't forget me!" a tan girl yelled as she ran towards Jonouchi, bright red eyes shining with mirth. Her physical appearance seemed like she was into the Angeleek fashion with her blond hair and a heart tattoo on her cheek. But her clothing didn't fit the style with the red long sleeve shirt that covered her hands, blue vest buttoned up, sky blue bell bottom pants, and maroon shoes. It was too late when Jonouchi noticed that the new girl was still running towards him before he got glomped. "OMG! It's been forever! Wait, you might not remember me. Time for reintroductions! I'm Ichigo! Seventh Life!"

"Ichigo, get off him," a boy said as he lift off said girl of Jonouchi. His light brown hair was in a braid that reached the small of his back while his bang was just over his left eye. His eyes was one shade darker than his hair, almost matching Jonouchi's. His expression made Sora's bored look seem that she was interested. His Chinese-style tank top was a dull orange with a mahogany brown belt, while his pants were the same as his eyes and shoes tan. "Sorry about her. She tends to get hyper over no reason. Aki, the Eight Life."

"There you are!" a third female voice yelled. Jonouchi had to stare in disbelieve at the latest cat.

"Mai?" Jonouchi asked. The latest cat really did look like the female duelist and friend, Kujaku Mai. Her outfit was exactly like the one Mai wore for Battle City. Boots, vest, shirt, skirt, even the gloves were the same. Didn't help that this cat had violet eyes and a similar hair style. Only difference besides the fact one was a cat was that the hair on the cat was tri-colored, but mostly white.

"Mai? Who's Mai?" the cat questioned. "I'm Hotaru. Also the Ninth Life."

"Sorry, you look like a friend of mine," Jonouchi apologized, rubbing the back of his head. A thought popped in Jonouchi's head. He pointed towards Deki. "Hey, wait a minute! You said you were the Nine Lives, and that there was nine of you. Where is two and three?"

"Get away from him!" Kaiba yelled as he ran towards the group. Mokuba was trailing but soon zoomed past his older brother.

"Do-kun!" Mokuba screeched as he glomped Doki.

"Mo-kun!" Doki laughed. "Man! How long has it been since we last seen each other like this!"

"At least a month! You guys missed this month."

"Well, inu, here comes the answer to your question," Deki said. "Let me introduce Seto-chan, the Second Life, and his little brother Mokuba, the Third Life."

"What the?" Jonouchi said, puzzled. "Kaiba, did he just call you Seto-chan? More importantly, you know these guys?"

"Oh yes," Deki said with a smirk as he wrapped his arms around Kaiba. Irritated, Kaiba shrugged the offending arms away from him. Deki shot Kaiba a glare before focusing his attention back at the teen turned cat. "We go way back. Seto-chan never told you about the project?"

"He did. Something about having humans with animal abilities. Guess that means you guys were also part of it."

"Wow, you're well informed. Yes, we were. But you don't know the half of the project!"

"Shut up," Kaiba growled, sending a death glare to Deki.

"You know what. Why don't you all go back to the house and have some lunch," Deki said all too calmly, giving Kaiba a glare himself. "I need to have a word with Seto."

"Right!" Mokuba said, slightly panicked. He dragged Jonouchi in an attempt to make the teen move faster. "Come on Jou! I think Akira is making chicken!"

"You're just going to leave him?" Jonouchi questioned. "Look, I was in a gang myself, and I know that tone of voice."

"You don't know the half of it!" Haru said. "Deki-nii always adds chan to Seto-nii's name unless he's really mad at him."

"Besides," Sora said, "whatever Deki says goes. You would have to be an idiot not to listen to your leader's orders."

"Either that or suicidal," Aki added.

* * *

An hour passed after they left Kaiba with Deki arrived at the kitchen. Jonouchi thought about the Kaiba brothers. It seemed like every time he learned something knew about them, more mysteries came up. He would have never guessed that either of them was in a gang, even though it was one for cats, let alone being cats originally. 

But his thoughts weren't just on the brothers the whole time. He managed to get to know each of the Nine Lives san Deki. Just as he thought, Hotaru was a feline version of Mai, personality and all. Aki didn't talk much and basically met his quota for talking that day. Despite acting like a dumb blond, Ichigo was one of the smarter ones of the gang. Sora was the eldest of the group, acting almost like a mother figure at times. Haru had an evil streak when it came to someone commenting on how girly he looked. But the true demon of the group was actually innocent looking Doki.

"I smell nii-sama," Mokuba randomly said.

"What are you talking about?" Jonouchi asked, sniffing the air. "I don't – wait! I think I smell him too. I think I also smell blood as well. How do I know that?"

"Looks like you're already adapting to being a cat," Kaiba said as he walked in the kitchen. The eight cats looked up to see Kaiba, sporting various wounds. There was a mad dash to the brunette cat, observing the numerous scratches.

"Oi! Seto-kun!" Ichigo yelled. "What happened to ya?"

"Yeah," Jonouchi muttered. His voice had a hint of anger and surprise. "You look like you were in a cat fight, no pun intended."

"Nothing much," Kaiba growled. "Deki and I just got into a little disagreement."

"Little?" Jonouchi said in disbelief. "This doesn't look like a little disagreement."

"Just drop it," Kaiba said, glaring.

"Where's Deki-nii?" Doki asked.

"In my room. As I'm sure Mokuba remembered to tell you, some of your rooms are currently being remodeled."

"Oops," Mokuba whispered. "Forgot about that…"

"Where are we all going to sleep then?" Ichigo whined.

"We have that all planed out!" Mokuba exclaimed. "Do-kun and Ha-chan sleeps with me. Jonouchi can sleep with us if he wants."

"Please!" Doki and Haru pleaded, giving the blond teen their cutest face.

"Fine!" Jonouchi yelled after a few minutes. "But you three better not keep me up all night!"

"Yes!" all three kittens shouted, jumping up in joy. "Sleep over!"

"Back to the sleeping arrangements," Aki growled.

"Um, right," Mokuba said. "Ichigo and Sora are in Hotaru's room since her room is done. Aki's room is finished as well, so he get's his room to himself. And Deki is with nii-sama."

"Why am I not surprised," Hotaru muttered. "At least it explains why Jou is with the kittens."

"Huh?" Jonouchi said, confused. "What explains why I'm the little gaki?" (1)

"Nothing Jonouchi," Mokuba said, twitching.

"Hey, I just got an idea!" Ichigo exclaimed. "I overheard some humans before we got here saying that they expect the cherry blossoms to bloom tomorrow! Kinda weird since it's a little late in the year for them to bloom. So, I was thinking, why don't we go watch them! Plus I'm sure Jou-kun would love to see them!"

"What's so special about cherry blossoms?" Jonouchi asked. "It's always the same thing every year."

"Not exactly, hun," Hotaru said, leaning on Jonouchi's shoulder. "Nothing's the same when you're a cat."

* * *

TBC

(1) gaki - brat

**Random talk:** Finally! I can't believe I actually got writer's block when I had this chapter written down on. Quite depressing. Oh well. At least I got this chapter done!

Three of the members of the Nine Lives are actually based off someone. Hotaru is easy to see basically since she's a cat version of Mai. By pure accident, Sora actually looks like my avatar on Gaia Online. Didn't realize it until after I colored her in. The final one is Doki. Doki's name translates to wrath. FullMetal Alchemist fans should recognize the character description now.

Thanks for sticking around this long! Happy holidays everyone!

Rubi-chan


	6. Daze 5 Sakura

**Disclaimer:** I, Rubi-chan, do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any related characters.

**Random talk:** I only had half of this chapter written down, but have the most ideas jumping around in my head. Meaning, this chapter should be easy to type. That is, if I ever get time to work on it.

I was looking back at chapter one when I realized a few things. One was that I never described Mokuba's outfit. Most of you probably pictured him in some of the official outfits. I kinda drew him in a really cute outfit, but who cares! The other thing was that I forgot to define "kawaii", but I'm sure many of you know that it actually is Japanese for cute. The last thing is that I brought up Tori's real name way too soon for my liking.

So, I decided to go back and change some minor things. If you are curious, chapters one and three have been edited. Besides, I'm not too happy how things were written towards the end in the first chapter. This is what I get for rushing things.

* * *

Daze 5

Sakura

Jonouchi sat at Mokuba's laptop, determined to find out more about the girl he met three days ago. Something in him said that there was more to Tori then meets the eye. He knew that the blond girl was human originally. She had to have a family that was wondering about her considering all of the experiments took place several years ago.

"What-cha doing?" Haru said making Jonouchi jump. He wasn't expecting someone standing behind him. Haru laughed at the blonde's reaction.

"Looks like someone's searching for a 'Tori Falcon'," Doki said over Jonouchi's shoulder. "Have you tried her real name?"

"Mokuba said the same exact thing," Jonouchi sighed. "The little brat didn't tell me what it was."

"How long does it take for two kittens to get someone?" Ichigo asked as she jumped on to the bed. "Remember Deki wanted to talk to all of us. Don't remember what."

"No Cherry Blossoms?" Haru and Doki whined.

"I think that's what the meeting is going to be about," Ichigo said. "So let's go find out if we can see them or not!"

The two kittens nodded as they jumped off the bed, followed by the two blonds. On their walk, Jonouchi was bombarded with questions on how it was like to be human. Some of the questions seem stupid to the blond. But he then remembered the only ones out the gang that was human for a long period of time was the Kaiba brothers.

They went into the kitchen, where the other members of the Nine Lives were eating brunch. Sora and Aki were dueling the Kaiba brothers in Duel Monsters. It was interesting to see how cats would normally duel. It took two cats just to handle the cards for one person. Jonouchi then noticed Kaiba bandages from the injuries the day before. Deki, who was talking to Hotaru, had similar bandages. Jonouchi smirked at knowing that it wasn't a one-sided fight.

"What took you so long?" Deki growled. "We have to talk about our plan of action today. This includes the inu."

"Shut up!" Jonouchi yelled. "I don't take that dog crap from Kaiba, and I won't take it from you!"

"Like I care," Deki smirked. "Back to the subject at hand. I know some of you wanted to take the dog to watch the cherry blossoms today. There has been a change of plans. Sora?"

"Last night, Aki and I went to do our nightly rounds of our turf," Sora said. "There were traces of some feral cats."

"So we can't go to the park?" Ichigo whined, ears drooping slightly.

"We're not confronting them now," Aki said. "Some will go to the park while the rest goes to find Death."

"What!" Jonouchi yelled. "Find death? Please tell me we're not thinking the same thing!"

"Not like that!" Haru yelled. "He means Tori-nee! There were nine of us originally. And we can't forget the human saying about how we have nine lives. So, we decided to make a joke about it and gave each one of us a nickname of a number one through nine!"

"But then Tori-nee came," Doki continued. "Thing is, she wasn't a cat to start off. Plus it through off the saying. So, we joked around calling her death since it was after the fact we all chose numbers. Before we knew it, the nickname stuck!"

"Back to today's schedule," Kaiba said. "Who's going where?"

"Aki, Hotaru, Sora, and I will look for Death," Deki said. "Seto-chan, you take the kittens, Ichigo, and the mutt to watch the cherry blossoms. We will regroup here at four o'clock, with or without Death. If any of you should find her, tell her the basic situation and to meet us here at that time as well. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said. "Do we have to wear the bells? They get annoying after awhile and we won't get that much food."

"Unless you want to be mistaken for a stray cat," Mokuba said. "There's a reason why we have our address engraved on those bells."

"Wait, I've got to wear one as well?" Jonouchi questioned. He did not like the face the three kittens were giving him. It was that look that screamed they were up to something.

"We still have that pink ribbon that Tori-nee refuses to wear," Haru said.

"Goes well with that pink bell," Mokuba added. Jonouchi paled at what they were planning. He even backed away a few steps, shaking his head in disagreement really fast.

"There is always the pastel rainbow ribbon," Doki suggested.

Kaiba sighed at the kittens' antics. He guessed he could allow them to tease Jonouchi for a while longer. The blond teen may even teach those three a lesson after he finds out there are other color choices. Hell, there was even a black painted bell that Kaiba was sure Jonouchi was going to claim. If anyone could rival Kaiba's obsession with the Blue Eyes, it was Jonouchi and his obsession over the Red Eyes.

* * *

Jonouchi fidgeted with the red ribbon he wore. It was awkward to wear a bell. Not to mention that he looked ridiculous. Of course, it had to been the one maid that was never an animal who tied the offending ribbon on. The whole time she just kept saying how cute he was, especially with a bow on the back of his neck. 

"Aren't large bows in the back normally for female cats?" Doki snickered. Mokuba and Haru were behind him, laughing as well.

"Laugh it up," Jonouchi muttered. He then smirked, looking at Mokuba. "If I remember correctly, you had a nice big bow on when I came here a few days ago."

"Shut up!" Mokuba screeched. "Nii-sama did as well and you're not making fun of him!"

"That's because I know when I shouldn't make fun of him," Kaiba said, giving the three kittens gave, what Jonouchi could only call, a bonk on the head. Whatever he called it, it was very un-Kaiba like.

"We're set to go!" Ichigo yelled, slapping Jonouchi on the back. "Don't want to waste any time! It takes us about an hour just for us to get there!"

After saying their goodbyes to the others, the park goers left the mansion. Their walk was quite peaceful. The kittens and Ichigo talked about random things and bring up some personal jokes. Jonouchi was walking behind the four cats, Kaiba right next to him. Something about the situation seemed… right. Almost as if something like this has happened in the past.

It amused Jonouchi of how the cats in front of him were so excited. The last time he was ever excited to go watch cherry blossoms was when his mother and Shizuka still lived with his father and him. By then, their parents already knew about the cats they so desperately tried to keep secret. Some of those cats decided to join them the last time the family went to the park together. Once more, one cat stuck out of his mind. The small brown cat with bright blue eyes was really attached to him as far as he could remember.

"Lookie here, a couple of strays," a voice came from a nearby dumpster. Several cats came out of the shadows, giving sinister looks.

"Hey!" Ichigo shouted. "It's, us, what's his name?"

"Don't look at me," Kaiba muttered. "You know I don't bother memorizing names of those who are a waste of time for me."

"Ditto," the three kittens said simultaneously.

"Don't look at me," Jonouchi said. "I'm new being a cat."

"Grr… It's Snow!" the one who talked earlier yelled.

"Oh, that's right," Doki said. "I thought you worked alone?"

"In fact, don't all of you normally work alone?" Haru said.

"We're here for revenge!" another cat yelled. "We're tired of having your gang kicking us out of what you call your turf! We have every right to be in those places!"

"It's only because you actually work as a group," Snow growled. "You guys are strange, actually working as one."

More accusations were made from the various cats. The new cats started to surround the group, their glares becoming even stronger. Jonouchi could tell these cats really were out for blood. He knew Kaiba and Ichigo thought the same thing for they moved in front of the kittens.

"Please, this is hardly fair," a new voice said. A cat with long blond hair dropped down, back facing Jonouchi. "How many times do we have to tell you to leave us be?"

"Falcon?" Jonouchi whispered.

She flicked some of her hair behind, tilting her head back to give Jonouchi a wink. "Good to see you again, Jou."

"Crap!" one of the cats yelled. "It's Death! I'm out of here!" One by one, the enemy cats backed off. Soon all of them have ran off, leaving the one called Snow behind.

"Boo," Tori said. That sent Snow off running, leaving a laughing Tori. "Losers!"

"Tori-nee!" Doki and Haru shouted, glomping said blond. Ichigo also joined in the glomp, bringing them all down. The three cats started ask Tori questions to catch up.

Kaiba coughed to get attention. "Hate to break up this reunion, but Deki and the others are still looking for Tori."

"I know," Tori said, getting up. She laughed at the fish impersonation her friends were doing. Except Kaiba who just cocked an eyebrow. "Don't be surprised. I saw them earlier and overheard Deki ranting about having to look for me. So, I decided to him suffer and found out from Hotaru what's going on. Told her that I would join you guys to the park. Been awhile since I went to watch cherry blossoms."

"Fine with me," Mokuba said. "Now let's go! I actually would like to see the cherry blossoms."

* * *

Jonouchi had to give it to Hotaru. She wasn't kidding when she said nothing was the same being a cat. The trees were huge, almost as big as some skyscrapers. And the petals seem more like pink snow then he last remembered. 

There were a few kids in the park. Most likely it was from a near by elementary school out for lunch. A couple or two can be seen every so often enjoying the view and each other's company. Other than that, the park was empty.

It was then that Jonouchi realized everyone was gone except Kaiba. The CEO feline was taking in the sight Jonouchi observed just a few minutes ago. Not only that, but it seemed he was deep in thought. Almost as if he was remembering something.

"You know, you are free to do whatever you want," Kaiba said.

"What is there to do?" Jonouchi asked. "Everyone ran off."

"Ichigo is probably dancing in the petals. Mokuba and the twins are off begging for food like always. And I saw Tori climb one of the trees, most likely going to take a nap."

"What do you do normally?"

"I sit back and… watch…" Jonouchi looked at Kaiba confused. Kaiba walked over to the closest tree and sat down. Nothing better to do, Jonouchi joined him. Everything was quite peaceful. A comfortable silence formed between the two. It was new to both.

"This isn't so bad," Jonouchi whispered to himself as his gaze shifted over to Kaiba. A slight breeze picked up that moment, ruffling Kaiba's hair. It just made Kaiba look more elegant. A slight blush formed on Jonouchi's cheek at the newest thought that came to his mind.

Kaiba was beautiful with the falling cherry blossoms.

* * *

TBC

**Random talk:** Man, this chapter was harder to write than I thought. Guess I didn't have the ideal situation for writing. First, I got side-tracked with some of my other stories. Then the semester started. Can't forget the fact I got this weird cold that just drained me for several days. And to finish it off, I was practically falling asleep. At least I got this out of the way…

Only two more chapters plus the epilogue left. Be kinda sad when this fic ends. Then again, I can focus on my other fics…

I've been getting an average of three reviews per chapter. It makes me sad since I know people are reading. Almost makes me want to give up at times. Then again, it wouldn't be fair to those who review… It's a lose-lose situation for me… Now excuse me while I go cry in the corner.

Rubi-chan


	7. Daze 6 Osore

**Disclaimer:** I don't work with 4kids, meaning I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Thank god about that…

**Random talk:** ((watches TV)) I keep forgetting how addictive Tactics is until I watch or read it again. At least it's not effecting what I'm writing.

Okay, I think I spent too much time explaining something that should only take a few sentence. I don't really care. It relates to Tori, so I want to do it! The only down side is that it takes longer to get to why I have this chapter. Here's a hint, it relates to what this chapter title translates to and Kaiba.

I did mention this fic did have OOC, right? Well, this chapter is the main reason behind that. But there is a perfectly good reason behind the OOCness! I swear! Plus it's only for less than half the chapter.

* * *

Daze 6

Osore

It was quite that day. By the time Jonouchi woke up, everyone already left to do whatever they had to except Kaiba. Evidently, he stayed behind to finish the coding to turn them back into humans. At least that was what Mokuba said in the note Jonouchi found. He wasn't expecting anyone to be around except for the help for a few hours. There wasn't much to do except video games, internet, and lay on the bed. Right now, Jonouchi opted for the third option.

"I thought you would have been in the game room by now," Kaiba said. Jonouchi jumped almost an inch in the air. He turned to see Kaiba smirking, leaning on the door frame. The brown cat walked towards the bed Jonouchi was on. It might have just been his imagination but the way Kaiba was walking was very graceful, just like the feline he was.

"I don't feel like being killed," Jonouchi muttered. "I don't care what you cats say. It's still hard to play video games like this. Thought you were busy with that machine."

"Code is finished," Kaiba sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He jumped onto the bed to sit down next to Jonouchi. "But something is wrong with the machine. We need to wait for new parts to replace some. It should be here tomorrow."

"Oh," Jonouchi whispered. The blond could have smacked himself for that. It just made him sound stupid. That thought made Jonouchi want to smack himself even more for caring what Kaiba thought about him. He never cared what the feline thought before.

Ever since the cherry blossoms yesterday, it was awkward for Jonouchi to be around Kaiba when they were alone. When there is silence between the two, like now, Jonouchi would think back to the petals falling like rain. Kaiba actually looked satisfied, almost happy about something. The wind tousling his bangs made Kaiba beautiful. That whole day was like Déjà vu for Jonouchi.

"Earth to Jonouchi," Kaiba's voice interrupted Jonouchi's train of thought. "Geez, I knew you were a space case, but it was like you were on Mars or something."

"Shut up," Jonouchi said, blushing in embarrassment. "What were you saying?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk," Kaiba said, smirking. He got up and jumped off the bed. "I need some fresh air, and I'm sure you have plenty of questions."

Jonouchi nodded, following Kaiba out the door. After putting on the ribbon and bell, they were ready to go. It was silent as they headed for the front gate. The blond teen had no clue what to say or ask. Just from the few days of being a cat brought up numerous questions.

"You know, now is the time to ask questions," Kaiba said after walking through the bars of the gate. "It's about a two hour walk to that game shop Yuugi's grandfather runs. School should be out by now, so your friends should be there. Mokuba pointed out that you would want to see them."

"I really love that kid," Jonouchi muttered. "Okay, I got one. Everyone keeps telling me that they would tell me Falcon's full name later, but I never get it! Why the hell will anyone tell me?"

"This may sound stupid to you, but it's perfectly logical considering her situation," Kaiba said. "See, in a way, she's afraid of her past. She doesn't want to take a chance of someone bring it up, which is why she uses the shortened version of her name. Her father was an American, hence the English last name. Ever heard of a company called Falcon Corp?"

"Isn't that one of your sub companies or something?" Jonouchi asked.

"I'm shocked you know that. Tori's father was the CEO of Falcon Corp. Tori was next in line after him when she was old enough. But her aunt got greedy. She made a deal with Gozaburo that he would get rid of Tori along with her parents. In return, after she would become CEO of Falcon Corp, she would form a partner ship with Kaiba Corp, something Gozaburo tried to do with Tori's father.

"He hired someone to rig Tori's family car to crash at some point, killing all three in the wreckage. What they didn't expect was that there would be a survivor. Tori lost both her parents that day. She would have been eight the next day, celebrating with her family. In stead, she was stuck in a hospital, alone, and barely alive.

"Of course, Tori's aunt wasn't happy. Even though she had control over the company, Tori still was a major stockholder and would become CEO after she finished high school. Once more, her aunt went to Gozaburo and pointed out the new problem. By then, I and the other cats were already turned into humans. He mentioned to her about the project. Tori's aunt then got the idea that Gozaburo could change Tori into a cat so that eventually Tori would be pronounced dead. I think you can figure out the rest."

"Geez, now that's some past," Jonouchi said. "So… What exactly about her past is she afraid of?"

"Her aunt. Think about it. The woman already killed her parents, tried to kill her, and sold her off to some corporate guy that is playing mad scientist in his basement. Most likely, if Tori and her aunt would ever cross paths again alone, she might actually succeed in killing Tori."

"Guess it makes sense…" Jonouchi trailed.

The whole time they talked, not once did Kaiba look at Jonouchi. In fact, Jonouchi realized that the cat had yet to look at him since they left the mansion. Usually when Kaiba is talking to someone, he could at least look in the person's general direction unless he was trying to piss off the other. There had to be something more going on in Kaiba's head since they were actually getting along and not trying to bite one another's head off lately.

There had to be more to Kaiba's past then what Jonouchi knew. First of all, since he found out that the Kaiba brothers were really cats, everything he knew about their past was false. Only recently did he find out their true history. He knew that before Gozaburo took them for his little experiment, some kid took care of them.

A thought just popped into Jonouchi's head. Lately, he found himself thinking back to when he took care of some stray cats. More and more, he started to remember more about them. All that was escaping him was what he called each cat. But, he did remember just then that there were nine kittens back then. What if his nine kittens from his childhood were the same as the ones that called themselves the Nine Lives? Ichigo did say she was reintroducing herself when they first met.

There was more then that one instance. Every so often, he would catch Deki giving him a cold glare just like one of his kittens. In fact, that same kitten would glare at him whenever one of the brown kittens would be near him, which was most of the time. That same brown kitten that caused him to start remembering all of the other kittens. The way Kaiba seemed attached to him was like how the brown kitten acted, looking up at him with shining blue eyes.

"Their eyes…" Jonouchi muttered.

"You done daydreaming?" Kaiba yelled. Jonouchi looked around, not able to find Kaiba. "Up here, baka."

"When did you get up on that wall?" Jonouchi yelled as he looked up. "Forget it. Why are you up there?"

"Shortcut," Kaiba shrugged. "I was tired of the silence. Thought taking a shortcut might get you to stop staring off into space. It should cut our trip about half. We might even get there in half an hour if you actually pay attention."

Jonouchi glared at Kaiba's tone, but not as harsh as it used to be. It was like they were back into their old routine from before all this crazy stuff happened, but different. The situation didn't feel the same now. After all that has happened, there was no way the bickering would be. There was no malice in the retorts any more. Now, it seemed to be more playful.

"What were you thinking about?" Kaiba asked as he jumped to another wall. "You were pretty deep in thought."

"Nothing much," Jonouchi said, joining Kaiba on the other wall. "Well, I shouldn't say that. You remember when I first saw you in your cat form how I was telling the gang about these cats I used to take care of? I just realized how similar you and the other cats were so much like the cats from my past."

Kaiba was about to say something when the sound of dogs barking interrupted. The brunette cat froze in what Jonouchi thought was fear. As the sound got closer, Kaiba would shake even more. Two large German Sheppards soon came into their view. The dogs soon noticed the cats on the wall and decided to direct their attention on them.

"We better get going, Kaiba," Jonouchi said, putting his hand on Kaiba's shoulder. He noticed just how bad Kaiba was shaking. He was practically a nervous wreck. "Kaiba?"

"St-stay away," Kaiba's voice faltered filled with fear. This puzzled Jonouchi. Was Kaiba afraid of dogs? The blond was about to ask Kaiba if he was, but he never got the chance. At the moment Jonouchi opened his mouth, Kaiba rapidly turned around in order to run. This caused him to run into Jonouchi, thus knocking them both down from the wall. Unfortunately, they were falling on the side where the dogs were.

"Oh, shit!" Jonouchi yelled. He knew there was no way of surviving from a fall from the height they came from. But, at the last minute, their cat reflexes caused them to adjust their positions to allow them to land on their feet. "Right… Cats always land on their feet."

Jonouchi looked down to notice that his arms were wrapped around a shaking Kaiba. The look on the feline's face was that of pure fear. His eyes were wide, mouth wide open, and skin practically as white as possible.

"Aw, crap! Now's not the time to finally freak out for the first time ever, Kaiba!" Jonouchi yelled as he tried getting Kaiba's attention. The dogs closed in on them, no longer barking but growling. "Look! If we don't get out here soon we might be dog food!"

Kaiba was muttering something, but due to how fast he was talking there was no way Jonouchi could make out what he was saying. Eventually, the blond figured out that the other was only repeating the same thing over and over. Two sentences put Jonouchi into shock.

"Where are you, Katsuya? You promised me."

* * *

"I wonder how Jonouchi-kun is doing," Yuugi pondered out loud. "It has almost been a week since we last saw him."

"Who knows what mess that guy got into," Honda said. "You know how much he and Kaiba argue. For all we know, they could be at each other's throat right now!"

"Hey, Yuugi? Did someone around here get some dogs all of a sudden?" Anzu questioned. Yuugi responded by shaking his head no, puzzled by why the brunette girl asked.

The faint sound of dogs barking from an alley a few blocks ahead gave Yuugi his answer. More so, there was also a cat hissing softly from the same area. Out of curiosity, the three teens silently decided to see what was going on.

What they saw was something not unusual, but scared them anyway. Two dogs were growling and closing in on two cats. One of the cats was brown and its blue eyes closed tight in fear. It was curled into a ball, shivering, as if it was trying to ignore what was going on but couldn't. The other cat was golden in color and had brown eyes fill with fire. It stood in front of the first cat as if it was trying to protect it. Both had a ribbon on with a bell. The first wore a blue ribbon and silver bell while the second had a red ribbon with a gold bell.

"Guys, doesn't that look like Jonouchi and Kaiba?" Anzu pointed to the two cats.

"I think you're right," Yuugi said.

"Then why are we standing around here?" Honda asked, basically yelling. "Hey, you stupid dogs! Get lost! Leave those cats alone!"

That wasn't the smartest idea Honda has ever had. At that moment, the two dogs turned their attention to said brunette. Honda only had time to gulp before having to run as fast as he could before the dogs gave chase.

"I hope Honda-kun will be alright," Yuugi said as the two teens watched their friend being chased by the two dogs.

The sound of a cat meowing brought their attention to the reason why Honda was running for his life. Neko-Jonouchi was standing over Neko-Kaiba, pawing the other in a calming way. Even though Yuugi and Anzu couldn't understand what was being said, it was obvious Jonouchi was trying to calm an unusual panicked Kaiba.

"We better take them back to you're place," Anzu said.

"Right," Yuugi said. "At least Kaiba-kun would be more comfortable."

* * *

Kaiba was still shaking when they arrived at the Kame Game Shop. This worried Jonouchi since Kaiba was still repeating the same thing over and over. It was a stroke of good luck when his friends found them. More so that Yuugi actually recognized them.

"I just called Kaiba-kun's place to let them know what happened," Yuugi said, kneeling down to talk to Jonouchi. "Evidently Mokuba-kun just came home so he might be coming by. Maybe they could help Kaiba-kun. And Honda-kun called saying that the dogs' owners finally got them so he should be on his way."

Jonouchi nodded, knowing that Yuugi wouldn't understand him. He didn't even look up at his friend, too concerned about Kaiba's condition. The whole situation just made him feel useless. There had to be some way to help Kaiba.

It was Jonouchi's petting that gave Yuugi the idea that possibly it could help. Sure Jonouchi was petting, but it might be more comforting if the one petting was human. Besides, didn't cats like to be petted?

Kaiba froze for a few seconds after Yuugi started to scratch behind his ears. Over all, it actually seemed to calm the feline CEO. But Jonouchi noticed that Kaiba was still a little freaked out. There was one thing he had yet to try. He remembered that when the brown kitten that was practically attached to him was scared, he would always whisper something to reassure the small creature.

"Hey, don't worry," Jonouchi whispered in a soothing way. "I'm right here. The dogs are long gone. They won't hurt you any more. I promise."

Those words along with Yuugi petting seemed to work. Kaiba started to really relax, forgetting about everything for the time being. A soft purr signaled that they were succeeding. A few minutes later led to a sleeping Kaiba resting his head on Jonouchi's lap.

Yuugi smiled at how cute the scene was in front of him. Sure, if he ignored the fact that one of the cats was his best friend and the other was his rival in Duel Monsters, and that both cats were known for their arguments, it looked like something on a greeting card or calendar. Maybe Jonouchi turning into a cat was more beneficial then the group thought.

It seemed that Jonouchi was good for Kaiba. First off, why were they both around his neighborhood? The only clear reason was that Jonouchi wanted to visit and Kaiba tagged along. Now Kaiba was snuggling with Jonouchi for comfort.

"Hey, look what the cat dragged in!" Honda said as he walked in. The black kitten in his arms started to growl. "I think it's Mokuba since the bell does have Kaiba's address on it."

"That wasn't very funny," Mokuba muttered, glaring at the teen that was carrying him in. It was pure luck Honda arrived at the same time Isono pulled up to the small shop. At least he would have an excuse for coming in then trying to sneak in through a window. And the excuse the brunette teen made was kinda funny. Maybe it would cheer up Kaiba to know that how Honda got him in was by saying that he had a broken leg.

"Hey, Mokuba," Jonouchi said softly. "We managed to calm Kaiba down and he's now asleep."

"That's a relief," Mokuba sighed. He squirmed out of Honda's arms and ran over to the two cats. "We better leave before he wakes up. He's usually a little jumpy after he calms down from a run in with dogs."

Mokuba walked over the door that Honda just decided to close when he entered. Irritated, he glared up at Honda since it was hard to open a door in his current form. Yuugi laughed, having a basic understanding on what's going on and opened the door.

"Maybe you shouldn't walk down, Mokuba-kun," Yuugi said. "I'm sure Honda-kun there was something wrong with you to get you in. My mom doesn't like animals up here unless they're hurt or something like that."

"He does have a point," Jonouchi said.

Mokuba sighed, knowing Jonouchi was telling the truth. He walked over to Honda, waiting to be picked up. Knowing his older brother, the only one Kaiba would trust to carry him besides Jonouchi would be Yuugi. Well, maybe Bakura if he was there and not in Egypt at a dig with his father.

"Hey, when did Mokuba get here?" Anzu asked as she walked in.

"While you were in the bathroom," Yuugi said as he picked up a sleeping Kaiba. "We're taking them down to the limo. You can wait up here if you want."

"I'll go help your mom with the snacks," Anzu said. "Bye Jonouchi, Mokuba."

The two teens and three cats left the family room and down the stairs. Honda carried a very annoyed Mokuba, Yuugi with a sleeping Kaiba, and Jonouchi trailing behind was a strange sight to Sugoroku. But, after your grandson was possessed by an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, there isn't much that would surprise you.

After a few more goodbyes in the limo, the three cats were on their way to Kaiba Manor. Jonouchi and Mokuba were silent due to the worry they had over Kaiba. From what Mokuba said, it seems that Kaiba's reaction happens every time a dog was involved. Kaiba really was terrified of dogs. This leads to the question of why Kaiba addresses him as a dog.

"Kaiba's afraid of dogs," Jonouchi stated.

"Everyone has some kind of fear," Mokuba said. "Sora is afraid of storms. Haru is claustrophobic. Ichigo and Deki both have a fear of the dark. Deki, well, we don't know yet what it is yet. Aki actually suffers from arachibutyrophobia."

"What's that?" Jonouchi asked, thinking it was something big to get a name like that.

"Fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth," Mokuba said. He laughed at Jonouchi's expression. It was clear the blond didn't believe him. "It's true! They it doesn't exist, but he's living proof! "

"I just can't believe that's an actual fear," Jonouchi muttered. "So, what's your fear?"

"Being left alone," Mokuba whispered.

* * *

TBC

**Random talk:** This chapter was all about fear. I'm sure you guys figure that out after reading the title and going to one of those online translators. I love weird fears. Even more when they sound like they couldn't be true. I had to give one of them a weird one. Hence Aki's fear.

If you were wondering, fear of storms is astraphobia, cynophobia is fear of dogs, and autophobia is fear of being alone. If any of these are wrong, take it up with Wikipedia. They also said arachibutyrophobia doesn't really exist, but I still love the concept of that fear…

Now, I'm sure you guys are wondering why I took my time finishing this chapter. There are two reasons. The first one being I've been busy with my classes. The second is that I've acquired a new fear myself. Some parts of my stories come true. It has happened three times as far as I know. The latest one I found out from my beta and friend. She says that there was a group of cats near the building for one of her classes. I think she said there was three black ones, two golden, a few calicos, and a tabby. Yeah, that freaked me out. So, I've been watching what I wrote just in case. No, this isn't some weird April Fool's joke.

Hm… 6 reviews for the last chapter. Better then I could hope. I know I should expect at least 8 reviews since I've got about 10 people who have this fic for story alert. But, I still thank all of you for reading. It's just nice to know that you're enjoying the story so far…

So, I just realized that due to having Tori in this fic, my original plan doesn't apply any longer. See, I was going to have a chapter where Jonouchi finds out the Nine Lives past before the final chapter of them returning. I was going to just combine those chapters, but I came up with an idea that I liked. Then, one of the nice reviewers suggested an idea that was similar to one I had for the first version. What this means is that there are more chapters than I said there were going to be. Joy... More work for me...

Rubi-chan


	8. Daze 7 Honto

**Disclaimer: **This is chapter seven, I think you all know already that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

**Random talk:** So, the plan was to have this be the last chapter before the epilogue. But I liked the idea of having this chapter by itself instead of combining it with another one. And the fact a reviewer suggested something I had in the first version which revived the idea.

Also, I'm sorry for the delay. For awhile, things sounded like I was rushing things. Then it took awhile for my beta to read this due to schedule problems. Not that I minded since I was busy as well. Turns out it was all in my head and it sounded fine. Well, I'll let you guys be the judge.

* * *

Daze 7

Honto

Morning came sooner than Jonouchi Katsuya hoped. The kittens kept him up since they wanted to play. Good thing Shizuka wasn't there or else they would have been up even later. Besides, both of them didn't need to be in trouble with their mother. Even though she allowed the kittens to stay, bedtime was bedtime

All nine kittens were sleeping somewhere around his bedroom. The three smallest black ones were curled up together on a pile of his dirty clothes. Four of the older ones were on a few pillows on the floor that was supposed to be a makeshift bed for them. The older black kitten that seemed to dislike him was resting on the foot of his bed. Katsuya smiled knowing the reason behind this one's sleeping spot. The brown kitten he saved a few months ago always slept next to him. It was as if the black kitten was jealous that the brown kitten was closer to the child.

Speaking of the brown kitten, the small creature was wide awake. Its bright blue eyes were looking up at Katsuya. If cats could smile, the kitten would be beaming. A soft meow came from the kitten as if it was saying good morning.

"Morning!" Katsuya said, smiling. "Let's get some breakfast before we have to wake the others. Today we're going watch the cherry blossom. Remember?" A meow was given in reply.

The blond child picked up the kitten and headed out to the kitchen. His mother already made breakfast and was starting to prepare lunch for today. She smiled as her son headed for the table to eat with one of his kittens. The whole family simply loved the kittens. Even though her husband and herself would scold their children about bringing in strays, they couldn't say no to their children every time they brought in another one.

"I see you still woke up early," Katsuya's mother said. "You looking forward for the cherry blossoms today?"

"Yup!" Katsuya said, smiling. "Seto-chan is too! Right?" The kitten in his arms seemed to smile as he continued to look up at the blond child with adoration.

* * *

Jonouchi woke from his dream, shocked. It wasn't just a dream, it was a memory. A memory of Seto the kitten. Seto who looked like Kaiba Seto in feline form. Everything was adding up now to the blond. But before he jumped to conclusions, he had to make sure if he was right.

The three kittens decided to enter the room at that moment. Perfect timing for Jonouchi since they were the ones who would give him the answers he needed. Either they or Ichigo would have been the easiest. They tended to accidently give too much information away.

"Morning!" all three black kittens chimed.

"Hey guys," Jonouchi yawned. "How's Kaiba?"

"Asleep," Doki said. "Deki-nii is watching over him. He also ordered us to tell you that you're banned from Seto-nii's room."

"Figures," Jonouchi sighed, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, I want to talk to you guys. Especially you, Mokuba."

"Okay, talk," Haru said as all three kittens sat on the bed.

"Kaiba's fear," Jonouchi said, very seriously. "How did he become afraid of dogs? He kept saying something that made me wonder what happened."

Silence filled the room. Jonouchi could see Mokuba tense at the question. Haru and Doki looked at one another then to Mokuba. The subject must have been taboo or something. That means Jonouchi was on the right track.

"I guess you have a right to know," Mokuba finally said. "Seto and I were the only ones who survived from our litters. Our mother died trying to protect us from some dogs. I guess that's where it started. But it wasn't that bad.

"Since it was just the two of us left, Seto took care of me. Back then, he would leave me alone for awhile to get some food. He always returned before dark, making sure I had my fill before he had some. But he didn't return one day. He was cornered by some dogs, his life hanging on a string.

"A boy rescued him and took him home. I didn't know this until several days later when the boy's sister just happened to find me and decided to take me home as well. Maybe that's why I'm afraid of being alone. I thought I lost Seto that day…"

"There was no way he would have made it back to you," Jonouchi muttered. "He was so injured my mom didn't know if he would even survive the night."

"Thank god she's a vet," Doki said. "Wait a minute!"

"Yeah, I finally remember," Jonouchi said, giving the three shocked kittens one of his goofy grins. "I guess Kaiba going into shock triggered my memory. Last night, I dreamt about the morning when we were going to go watch the cherry blossoms. You remember, right?"

"How could we forget," Haru said. "We cats played some version of tag, except Seto-nii. He always stayed with you, no matter what."

"Don't forget that was the last day before Gozaburo's men found us," Doki growled. "If we didn't go outside that day…"

"Forget it," Mokuba said. "That's in the past. In a way, we should be thankful. At least Seto can communicate with Jonouchi now. Thinking back, it was kinda depressing for nii-sama to keep on confessing-"

"Mokuba!" Doki and Haru yelled, glaring at the other kitten. Jonouchi had one of those weird expressions, making Mokuba remember who he was talking to and what he was talking about.

"Ah, crud," Mokuba muttered. "Just ignore what I just said! We better get going, guys! See ya Jonouchi!" With that said, the three black kittens dashed out of the room.

"Wait! I'm not done with you!" Jonouchi yelled trying to keep up the others. Of course, the kittens knew their way around the mansion better then Jonouchi. This lead to the teen-turned-cat getting lost, fast, with no one in sight to help him.

* * *

"Finally, no one in sight," Kaiba sighed as he left his room. Normally, he didn't mind company since he would usually drown them out with his work. But, thanks to Deki, all he was allowed to do was rest, eat, and go to the bathroom. Deki was there to watch over the feline CEO.

Kaiba's solitude didn't last long when he noticed Jonouchi sulking against the wall. It was somewhat humorous sight since the blond didn't seem that upset. Anyone could tell that Jonouchi was just mad that he was lost again.

"I see someone got lost again," Kaiba said when he got behind Jonouchi.

"Kaiba," Jonouchi whispered as he turned to face the other. "You're just the one I wanna see!"

"Oh really?" Kaiba said, trying to sound uninterested. Not when Jonouchi actually sounded excited when regarding him. "Well, I'm hungry and I'm sure you are too. Talk while we go to the kitchen."

Jonouchi's stomach decided to "speak up" and agree with Kaiba's idea. Both started to laugh, Jonouchi nervously and Kaiba quietly. It shocked Jonouchi to hear Kaiba laugh since it was his normal 'better than thou' laugh.

"Dude, I think hell just frozen over," Jonouchi said. "Kaiba Seto actually laughed! I mean, yeah, you've laugh, but nothing like this!"

"Would you rather I be uptight all the time?" Kaiba asked with a smirk. "Are we going or what?"

Receiving a nod in reply, the two duelists left for the kitchen. An eerie silence grew between the two fast. Jonouchi was trying to figure out the right words to say. From the kitten's reaction, it was important to say the right thing. He didn't want Kaiba to run off too soon.

"Man, I really don't know how to put this without you freaking out," Jonouchi sighed.

"Me, freak out?" Kaiba said. "How often have you seen me freak out? Try zero."

"This time might be different," Jonouchi said nervously. "See, I had this dream last night."

"Oh, wow, a dream," Kaiba retorted. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. I've just been in a bad mood all day thanks to Deki. Continue."

It was still awkward to hear Kaiba being nice. But, in a way, it was like having kitten Seto once more. For a brief second, Kaiba's expression changed from neutral to that of a scolded child. If Jonouchi could see Kaiba in cat form, he was sure he would see Kaiba react the same way he did years ago. Head would be bowed down, slouched over, tail slightly wrapped around him.

"Thank you," Jonouchi said. He took a deep breath before resuming talking. "The dream was actually more of a memory. You were there."

"Really?" Kaiba said interested.

"It was the day my parents took us to watch cherry blossoms," Jonouchi said softly. "The day before you guys left."

Kaiba suddenly stopped, making Jonouchi stop to look at the other. Silence grew between them once more. Kaiba knew what the blond was saying. Jonouchi finally figured out the other was the clingy cat from his childhood. It seemed that there was only one option left.

"You finally remember me, huh?" Kaiba whispered loud enough for the blond to hear. "Shocked to find out innocent little Seto is the big bad Kaiba Seto? That the one who adored you now gets into arguments with you practically every day?"

"Actually, I'm not that surprised," Jonouchi replied just as loud as Kaiba. "Ever since I saw you in your cat form, something in me just told me you were that kitten. What I want to know is why you didn't tell me who you were after I was changed."

"It's none of your business!" Kaiba yelled. "That was in the past! Things change… Besides, you forgot all about us until a few days ago! You didn't even remember the names you gave us! Well, you know what? We don't need you anymore! I don't need you!"

"Kaiba," Jonouchi whispered softly. He tried to approach the other before being pushed away. The glare the blond received was the most intense he had ever seen Kaiba give. Jonouchi was shocked that it actually hurt to see Kaiba glare at him.

"Just leave me alone!" Kaiba yelled even louder and ran off. Jonouchi just stood there, letting Kaiba get away. He knew Kaiba had to truly hate him now.

* * *

Rain poured down heavily when Shizuka arrived in Domino. The doctor who preformed her surgery wanted to see how her eyes were doing since the surgery wasn't always successful. The best part was that Shizuka managed to convince her mother to let her stay a few days to visit her brother. The only rule was that she was to stay over Anzu's house during her stay, which Anzu was happy to comply with.

She opened her umbrella as she left the train station. Few people were out not just because of the rain, but due to the fact it was late at night. Normally she would wait for a ride, but the Kame Game Shop wasn't too far. Anzu said she was over there to wait for her.

There was a soft meowing coming from an alleyway. Shizuka noticed a brown cat attempting to hide from the rain in a cardboard box. There was no way she was about to leave a cat out in this rain. Yuugi could watch over the poor thing until after the rain if she couldn't take him to Anzu's place.

"Oh, you poor thing," Shizuka said as she picked up the cat. "You're shivering. Hey, you look like Seto-chan! Maybe you are him!" Shizuka laughed at that. The possibility of that cat being the same as the kitten from her childhood was slim.

The cat looked up at her with his big blue eyes. He meowed, as if in thanks. That made Shizuka smile even more. He even acted like Seto-chan. When she saw her brother, she would definitely have to take this creature with her.

"Come on," Shizuka said. "My friend's house isn't too far. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you stayed with us until we find you a good home."

* * *

TBC

_Honto - truth_

**Random talk: **Man, even after my beta assured me that this wasn't sounding rushed, I still think it kinda does. But, it did get me to finish this chapter.

Sorry for the confusing opening. I wanted it to be that way for some odd reason. I just don't have the heart to change it so it's obvious it was a dream from the start. Also, sorry for the cliffhanger. I tried to have each chapter a different day. But, if I went on, my idea for the next chapter would be ruined. That, and I'll have over six pages for this chapter and less for the next. I think…

Next chapter might take awhile since I started to work on a new one while I was waiting to hear from my beta.

**Edit:** Forgot to mention something. Thankfully a reviewer pointed this out. I forgot _honto_ also means _really_. I just checked both my Japanese-English dictionaries, and both say honto both means truth and really. There is no mistake on my translation. I have no clue why it is like that, but it is.

Rubi-chan


	9. Daze 8 Imouto

**Disclaimer:** If I actually owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I highly doubt there would actually be fans with my luck of readers…

**Random talk:** Sorry for the delay. I got depressed with the lack of reviews for my fics. Happens once in awhile. Then, classes started up once more. Fun… At least I updated.

* * *

Daze 8

Imouto

Today wasn't Kaiba's day. First, he was locked up in his own room just because Deki was worried. Then Jonouchi found out the truth that Kaiba was indeed the clingy cat he kept talking about. And then there was the fact that his normally great sense of direction decided to fail him, making it impossible to figure out how to get home when he calmed down. Now, mother nature decided to make things even worse by making it rain!

He sneezed, shivering from being cold and wet. Two things that cats, like him, hate to be. The cardboard box he was using for shelter did a bad job of shielding him from the rain. What he wouldn't do to be back home, just enjoying being near his secret love.

"No!" Kaiba growled. "I can't think that way. He's human and I'm a cat. No matter how much I try to be human, there is no way around the fact I'm not one. If only I didn't find out the truth I wasn't like humans." (1)

"Oh, you poor thing," a familiar voice interrupted his train of thought. The owner was female, one he hadn't heard since "Atem" left. Warm arms surrounded his body and lift him off of the ground. "You're shivering. Hey, you look like Seto-chan! Maybe you are him!" She laughed, Kaiba wanting to join in knowing that she was actually dead on.

Kaiba looked up at the girl, confirming that it was indeed Shizuka who saved him. "Thank you, Shizu," Kaiba said, smiling at the fact he was able to finally use call her that without worries. It was true that some habits were hard to break. It was weird how easily it was to fall back into his old way of thinking when Shizuka decided to smile even more at that moment. It almost seemed like she knew what he was saying.

"Come on," Shizuka said. "My friend's house isn't too far. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you stayed with us until we find you a good home."

The warmth Shizuka was providing was comforting and even was lulling him to sleep, bringing his mind back in time. "Home," Kaiba whispered. "Yeah, that would be nice, Shizu-chan. Home… Back to Katsu-kun."

* * *

"Hello everyone," Shizuka said when she entered the room the gang was in.

"Shizuka-chan!" Yuugi and Honda exclaimed. Anzu just smiled and waved.

"Hi, Yuugi-kun, Honda-kun," Shizuka replied smiling. "Sorry I'm late, Anzu-chan. I got sidetracked. Where's onii-chan? I came here to surprise him."

"It's… a long story," Anzu said. "You'll see him tomorrow, hopefully."

"Is that a cat?" Yuugi asked, looking at the brown ball of fluff in her arms.

"This little guy was the reason I was running late. It was raining and I just couldn't leave him out there. Something about him reminds me of this cat when I was younger…"

"Jonouchi said the same thing," Honda said. "That is, if it is the same cat from Kaiba Manor. Only one way to find out. Hey, is that you Kaiba?" Feeling brave, Honda started poking Kaiba, waking said cat from his slumber. This gave him a nice scratch on the offending hand. Satisfied, Kaiba went back to sleep.

"Yup, definite Kaiba," Honda muttered.

"What cat wouldn't scratch you if you poke them?" Anzu asked. She sighed and turn towards Shizuka. "Sit down, Shizuka. This is going to be a long story."

* * *

Jonouchi laid down on Mokuba's bed worried about Kaiba. It was already eleven at night and Kaiba had yet to return. Deki was upset and was clearly after Jonouchi's head. It was obvious that it was the blonds fault, and Jonouchi didn't even bother to deny it. After a few punches and kicks, Deki left to find the missing feline. Deki had yet to return even when it started to rain.

The blonde's mind was focused on Kaiba. Jonouchi could tell Kaiba didn't mean everything he said. In fact, he might have meant exactly opposite of what was said! It was obvious Kaiba needed someone. And from the sounds of things, Kaiba wanted that someone to be him, the one who took care of him as a kitten.

These past few days being a cat really opened Jonouchi's eyes, especially when dealing with Kaiba. Kaiba was a cat, no matter how long he has been in human form. Old habits die hard, more so when it comes to natural instinct.

Mokuba came earlier to explain some things about his older brother. When they were changed into humans, they had no clue how humans acted and if it was different from cats. So, they copied the behavior of the few humans they interacted with. Naturally, Kaiba copied Gozaburo. But, while in feline form, they were fairly relaxed and easy going. The problems of human society didn't exist. No school, no Kaiba Corp, nothing that humans would worry about.

Jonouchi noticed this, for it was fairly obvious. The only time Kaiba acted like Kaiba was when he was working on the machine. His insults had more of a joking tone to them. Kaiba Corp was rarely brought up. Stress was only around when Kaiba was aggravated. Kaiba was more human when he was a feline!

Which lead to Jonouchi's dilemma. He couldn't deny it any longer. He was falling for Kaiba. There was also the possibility Kaiba had similar feelings for him for who knows how long. The only problem was, despite growing up together for a short time, they were still from two different worlds. Kaiba was a cat and he was human. Even if they got together, wouldn't their relationship be considered bestiality?

It didn't matter to him. So long as their feelings were the same, the world can go to hell. And if Kaiba did feel the same way, Jonouchi would do everything he could to stay with him, even if it meant he stayed a cat and was only a human for a day a month.

It was funny. Wasn't it just before this whole cat fiasco happened that he couldn't even stand being in the same room as Kaiba? Now, Jonouchi couldn't even picture his life without the other. With that thought in mind, Jonouchi drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow, he would tell Kaiba everything.

* * *

Kaiba woke in someone's arms. It was obvious it was a human who held him, a girl at that. The night before came to him. Shizuka had found him and took him with her, something about going to a friend's house. And didn't she suspect that he was "Seto-chan"?

"Morning, Kaiba-san," Shizuka yawned, shocking Kaiba that she knew what was going on. "Yuugi-kun and the others explained what happened."

"Figures," Kaiba muttered. Shizuka giggled at Kaiba's response.

"Someone's upset. Um, Kaiba-san… I have a question. I know that the chances are slim, but are you by chance Seto the cat when I was younger?"

Once more, Shizuka shocked Kaiba. She knew! Something that took several days for Jonouchi to figure out she got in less then a day. All Kaiba could do was say a quite "yes" and a slight nod. Seeing this, Shizuka beamed.

"I knew it! You had the same exact look back when Jonouchi wasn't around! It's just nice to know that you and Mokuba are doing well. How about the others?"

Kaiba gave up on being surprised. Evidently, Shizuka remembered more then her brother. That hurt Kaiba a little. Then again, he always had this feeling that Jonouchi wouldn't remember. It was something that was expected when dealing with Jonouchi.

Kaiba told Shizuka everything since Gozaburo found him along with the others. It was like the old days. Just like then, it almost seemed like Shizuka understood what he was saying. Maybe, after this was all over, he could return to his previous life. Being human was too complicated, even after being one for almost eight years. It was nice to actually act like his species.

* * *

"Jonouchi! You won't believe who's here!" Mokuba yelled jumping onto the bed, thus waking Jonouchi.

"Santa?" Jonouchi muttered, brain still not functioning. Mokuba laughed at the response.

"Nope! Your sister! And she brought nii-sama with her!"

"Shizuka?" Jonouchi yelled, now fully awake. "And Kaiba's back! Lead the way!"

Mokuba blinked. Jonouchi was actually excited that Kaiba was back? Sure, he was happy when Kaiba was around, even if he would never admit it. Hopefully, it was only for the time being.

Despite how large Kaiba Manor was, word travels rather fast. Since some of the staff was part of Gozaburo's experiment, everyone looked out for one another. This also included when guest arrived. More so with Shizuka due to the ones currently as cats. That and the fact Kaiba was back.

Right away, Shizuka could tell the cats that crowed her had to be the strays from years ago. Not only that, but it was fairly easy to tell who was who. Their personalities hardly changed at all. One cat in particular stood out as he made a mad dash for her.

"Oh, god! Shizuka!" Jonouchi yelled as he ran towards his sister. "I've missed you!"

Shizuka laughed at her brother's antics. "Hi, onii-chan," she said, smiling. "I missed you, too. Yuugi-kun, Honda-kun, and Anzu-chan told me everything. Sorry about what happened. But, look at the bright side! We found Seto-chan and the others again!"

"Yeah… Who knew," Jonouchi whispered. "So, what'cha doing here? I highly doubt okaa-san would let you stay here for no good reason."

"I have a doctor's appointment today," Shizuka answered. "Sorry I can't stay long. Anzu-chan offered to take me shopping after the doctor. I promise I'll be back tomorrow! That way, it won't seem like I'm having a one sided conversation!"

"She does have a point," Hotaru said. "I bet if some stranger came here, they would call the men in white!"

"Aw… But she just got here!" Ichigo wined. "Does she really have to go?"

"Sorry! I really have to go now," Shizuka said. "If I leave now, I might make it on time."

"Isono," Kaiba yelled. "Would you please drive Shizu-chan?"

"Of course, Kaiba-san," Isono said. "Kawai-san, I will drive you where you have to go. It will be much faster."

"Oh, thank you!" Shizuka said. "Thank you, Kaiba-san. Or should I call you Seto-chan? Oh, we better get going! Don't want to take any chances!"

* * *

After assuring everyone, mostly Deki, that he was fine, Kaiba disappeared to the basement. Obviously, he was avoiding Jonouchi from the lack of greeting to the blond. It hurt Jonouchi a little, but it only made sense considering the previous day. That just made it even more important to talk to Kaiba.

"Kaiba, we need to talk," Jonouchi said as he approached the machine.

"Talk," Kaiba said. "I'm almost done. By tomorrow, you'll be back to normal. You won't have to deal with me anymore, then."

"Meaning?" Jonouchi asked, tilting his head slightly. Kaiba would still attend class every so often.

"As soon as I get everything settled with Kaiba Corp, I'm going to remain a cat," Kaiba stated, shocking Jonouchi. "I hate being human. I never told Mokuba, but I actually look forward to that one day each month."

"Then, I'm not going back."

Kaiba stopped working on whatever it was, allowing the silence to fill the room. The feline couldn't figure out what the teen was getting at. Jonouchi couldn't mean what Kaiba was thinking. Did Jonouchi really want to stay as a cat?

"Explain," Kaiba whispered.

"I don't want to change back," Jonouchi said. "We'll be graduating soon. What's there for me after that? I'll be stuck doing some manual labor job, like otou-san. Hell, I might even end up like him! I really don't want to live that life."

"What about your friends? What about your sister?" Kaiba asked practically yelling. "I never admitted how good you were when I'm human, but you can easily become a pro duelist! You're willing to give that all up just so you don't have to face a future that might never happen?"

"No, I'm giving all that up for you!" Jonouchi yelled. "I know this sounds weird, but I saw the real you these past few days. And guess what, I'm starting to like that side of you! The idea of not seeing you practically every day is starting to scare me! Don't you get it; I want to stay with you! Sure, I won't see my friends every day. One day every month isn't so bad. And I barely see Shizuka as is. It wouldn't change anything. At least I get to be with you!

"And who ever said anything about becoming a pro? I started playing Duel Monsters because it was fun! I entered Duelist Kingdom just to get the prize money for Shizuka's operation. All those other tournaments was just so people would take me seriously! More importantly, I had to prove to _you_ that I was worthy of your attention!"

Silence filled the room once more. Jonouchi was panting from his rant. He put all his emotions in those words, hoping Kaiba would notice. Kaiba, on the other hand, was in shock. He never realized Jonouchi had such strong feelings about him. They stayed that way for several minutes before Kaiba spoke.

"Don't make such a rash decision," Kaiba said, his voice surprisingly steady. "Don't get me wrong, I know what you are saying. But once you make up your mind, it will be hard to go back. Look, it will take a while before I leave Tori in charge of the company. Maybe even until the end of school. When I do change back for good, you can give me you answer then."

"Fine with me. I'll give you my answer after the graduation ceremony."

* * *

TBC

_Imouto – little sister_

(1) Refers back to Magical Mew Mew Taruto. There, cats think they think they are humans, only smaller and had ears and a tail. Remember?

**Random talk:** Does anyone actually remember the names of the Nine Lives without looking back? I mean, I always talk about Deki and the twins. I bet you guys forgot about the other four! (Tori doesn't really count since she's more like an honorary member.) I feel kinda guilty not using them more. Hotaru was basically Mai in feline form. Ichigo was the ditzy brains. Sora was the one the others looked up to since she was one of the oldest. Aki was, well, he was supposed to be mostly silent… But, then again, they weren't supposed to have a major role from the start.

Um… I really wasn't lying when I said that I was upset with lack of reviews for some of my fics. But there is another reason. See, I kinda got sidetracked. (Oops…) I started a new fic to get the basics down. And I'm not talking about _How to Catch a Thief_ (like anyone really reads it) here! New, new fic!

Which reminds me, anyone here know Gundam Wing? The new fic I'm working on is a Gundam Wing, Yu-Gi-Oh crossover. My problem, I can't figure out how Kaiba would react with some characters from the gw universe, mainly some of the pilots. That and I want to make sure I'm as true to the series as I can with the idea while keeping some ygo elements. If you're interested in helping me out, feel free to contact me. The prologue and first chapter are done, if you wanted to know. Thanks!

Rubi-chan


	10. Daze 9 Saigen

**Disclaimer:** Judging from my fics, if I owned Yu-Gi-Oh it wouldn't be as popular as it is.

**Random talk:** Just to let you know, next chapter is your last chance to review. Yes, that means all that is left after this is the epilogue.

* * *

Daze 9

Saigen

Mokuba sat on the balcony railing, watching the sun rise. Tori stood next to him, enjoying the view as well. All was peaceful and quiet for the time being. In just a few hours, the machine would be activated once more. Tori would be human for more then one day for the first time in years. Mokuba and Kaiba would return just to finish some lose ends. And Jonouchi….

"Jonouchi is going to forget, isn't he," Mokuba stated randomly. "He's going to eventually forget about this past week with us."

"Maybe, maybe not," Tori responded casually. "I talked with Seto before he went to bed. Evidently Jonouchi doesn't want to lose Seto. He's willing to remain as he is."

"He can't!" Mokuba yelled. He jumped up to face the other. "He'll lose so much!"

"In reality, it's a lose-lose situation for him," Tori said, looking at Mokuba. "If he remains as a cat, he could lose his family and friends, only seeing them once a month. If he returns, he will lose his chance with someone who loves him with all their heart and might love in return."

"You know Japanese don't say 'love' so readily." (1)

"I'm half-American! I've got an excuse. But that's besides the point. Only time will tell. Jonouchi has until they graduate."

"You do realize that's one year from now. Things change."

"They'll make it. Call it woman's intuition."

"You're intuition sucks…"

* * *

Haru stood in the doorway of Kaiba's room, silently watching Deki. Kaiba was already up and finishing the machine. By then, Kaiba had already told Deki about his conversation with Jonouchi. Deki wasn't happy at all. Everyone in their gang knew about Deki's feelings for Kaiba.

"Tell me, what does that idiotic human have that attracts Seto to him?" Deki asked, knowing that Haru was there. The kitten's smell was distinguishable, smelling of flowers that bloomed in spring. (2)

"How should I know," Haru muttered. "I'm not Seto-nii. We each have our own reasons for why we fall in love. Maybe it was because Katsu-nii saved him when they first met. Or it could be how he took care of him. Hey, maybe the reason could even be pretty recent that what he felt before was just a crush. What I do know is that Seto-nii loves him, and that is all that matters."

Deki turned around, giving Haru a full force glare. Haru just stared back at him, not affected by his glare. This went on for a few minutes before Deki decided to leave the room through the balcony, muttering a "whatever" as he left. Haru sighed, his expression softening.

"I wish you would notice what you have in front of you," Haru whispered with the knowledge that the other would never hear it.

* * *

"Hey, Jonouchi," Kaiba said, not looking up from his computer. The two duelists were once again in the basement, with Kaiba on his laptop working on the machine.

"Yeah?" Jonouchi asked, lifting his head to look up at Kaiba.

"Are… Are you serious about what you said yesterday?" Kaiba asked, almost stuttering over his words. A faint blush spread on his cheeks. "About wanting to be with me?"

The blonde teen smiled softly, enjoying in the fact he was the one to make Kaiba blush. "Yes, I am serious," Jonouchi answered. "To tell you the truth, you were the only reason why I stayed in Domino. About a month after Atem left, my mom called me up offering to live with her and Shizuka. You can guess how ecstatic I was."

"So, you do know big words," Kaiba said, receiving a glare from Jonouchi in response. "Sorry, old habits. How do I fit in all this?"

"You may not realize this, but you push me to my limits. Sure, my main goal is to defeat you in Duel Monsters so you would see I'm a worth opponent. But, somewhere along the way, I wanted to show you I'm not just some idiot who gets by with dumb luck and muscle. Heck, you even beat me in the muscle department sometimes."

"Natural reflexes," Kaiba interrupted. Jonouchi gave him a puzzled expression. "The only reason I could beat you was because I was relying on my feline nature rather than human fighting skills. But, after all this, I think we would be on a more level playing field. You might even be able to defeat me. Keyword: might."

"Why you egotistical…" Jonouchi trailed off. "Maybe I should leave my explanation off there."

"I am not sorry for what I said. What I said is true. You might have a chance to actually be able to beat me if we were to fight now. You would have to adjust your fighting style to your new feline abilities. There is a major difference that might take awhile to get used to. It's like when I first became human and had to learn how to walk without a tail. That was awkward to say the least."

"Heh… Would have loved to see that. But, I guess you do have a point… I was joking anyways. I am serious about what I was saying before you oh-so-rudely interrupted me. Let's face it, things would be boring without you around. I would move in with my mom since there wouldn't be anything to keep me here. At least I could contact my friends. You… You wouldn't be around. I would never have the chance to show you how much I improved, if you ever did noticed."

"I noticed!" Kaiba yelled as he finally faced Jonouchi. "Why wouldn't I notice the one person that means the world to me? I couldn't tell you the truth before. What would I say? 'Hello, I'm Kaiba Seto. Child prodigy, teen CEO, oh, did I mention I was your pet cat that went missing years ago?' You would call the people in white to check me into the happy hotel! Not to mention Gozaburo's training was still engrained in my head. I had to push you away no matter how much it hurt. And before you bring up Battle City, _that_ was for your own protection. There was no way I was going to let you face off those freaks."

"Give me a break! I only found out the truth about who you were recently!"

"Are you two done with your screaming match?" Doki interrupted. Both Kaiba and Jonouchi froze, slowly turning their heads to see Doki, Ichigo, and Hotaru watching them intently. Their faces soon became beet red, turning their faces away from one another in embarrassment.

"Aw… It was getting to the good part!" Ichigo yelled. "Hey, 'taru-chan! We should so write this down and see if we can sell it to some producer to make a soap opera!"

"Get out!" Kaiba and Jonouchi yelled simultaneously. The two female cats giggled before scampering off while Doki fell over laughing. After receiving dual glares from really ticked off teenage cats, Doki made a mad dash out of the basement as well.

Kaiba sighed as he resumed his work. "The sad part is that she's right. We sound like something out of a soap opera."

* * *

Later that night, the machine was finished, doubled checked, and triple checked. All Nine Lives along with Tori and Jonouchi were gathered in the basement. Deki was pleased that "the mutt" was leaving despite his "Seto-chan" returning as well. Tori was talking to the other females about what she should do as soon as she was human once more among other things that was considered boring the boys. Doki and Haru hugged Mokuba tightly, crying as if they would never see each other again. Aki was silent as always.

"This is it," Mokuba said when he finally removed his twin best friends. "We're going back to the way things were before."

"Not entirely," Tori said. "We have over a week of experiences we could never forget thanks to Jonouchi! And I'm sure he won't forget what happen these past few days. Not to mention I'll be coming along. Yup, things are going to be far from normal."

"Crazy girl is right," Jonouchi said. Tori gave an innocent smile at her new nickname, one that promised pain. "I've been a cat for nine days, that's something hard to forget. Sure, sometimes I think that this is some kind of dream, but it isn't. At first, I thought it was a nightmare. But, somewhere along the way, it was more like a dream I didn't want to wake up from. Plus, I think Kaiba traumatized Honda enough that he won't forget this for a long time…"

"He deserved it," Kaiba muttered.

"See?" Tori said. "Nothing to worry about Mokuba! Now, get me human again! A certain CEO bitch of an aunt needs to be taught a lesson."

"Not surprised you got revenge on your mind," Kaiba sighed. "You know the drill. Stand on the X and I'll start up the machine."

Tori nodded and did what she was told. Kaiba smirked as he pressed a few buttons before the larger button Jonouchi recognized as the one that started his little adventure. A similar blinding light filled the room. When the light disappeared and his eyes adjusted, Jonouchi could see the same Tori he first met.

"Alright! No more stupid maid's outfit!" Tori exclaimed, punching the air. "I am so torching this outfit!"

"I take it back," Jonouchi whispered to the three kittens. "She's a crazy _psycho_ girl."

"I heard that!" Tori yelled. "Just because I'm human again, doesn't mean I don't understand you!"

"S-she," Jonouchi stuttered.

"Side effect," Kaiba explained. "Why do you think we age like humans and not like cats? You actually benefit from this little mishap. Some feline senses may remain along with reflexes. Not to mention you would be able to understand what cats say and see how we see one another."

"Sweet…" Jonouchi said.

"Your turn," Kaiba said. "I need to do some adjustments for Mokuba and I. It would be easier if you go now."

Jonouchi nodded and took his place on the X. His gaze stayed on Kaiba, something Mokuba didn't miss. He could see now that Tori and Jonouchi was right. Things wouldn't be the same. Jonouchi cared about all of them, especially his older brother.

Mokuba wasn't the only one who noticed Jonouchi's stare. Kaiba stared back at the blonde. He gave him a nod before pressing the button. Jonouchi smiled softly, not missing the gentle expression on Kaiba's face.

The room was filled with the light once more.

* * *

**Owari (kinda)**

Saigen - return

(1) If I remember correctly, they tend to lean more towards using "like" then "love" in Japan. I might be wrong, so don't take my word for it.

(2) For those who didn't figure it out, Haru means spring. Just thought that would be cute that he smelled like spring flowers.

**Random talk:** Yup, I made a cliffhanger for the final chapter before the epilogue. Hey, it's what you get for not reviewing. (Yes, I'm upset I only got one review last chapter.) The only excuse is that you were reading it on a PSP or in class when you shouldn't have. Leaving a review on a PSP is hard (I should know). Class excuse needs no explanation.

On a brighter note, I was talking with my beta about this really cool idea I think you guys would enjoy! I've been playing around with the idea of creating a series of one-shots relating to this story. I already have several ideas, but only 4 or 5 are really worth writing. What do you guys think? Should I go ahead with the idea? Mind you, I'll be working on other fics, so the updates would be really random. Feel free to leave ideas for a one-shot! I might even use it!

Rubi-chan, over and out! (Yeah, got a new ending line. Like?)


	11. After Daze

**Disclaimer: **Why do I say this over and over again? You all know I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, right?

**Random talk:** Yup. Epilogue time. After this, no more Kitty Daze. All you guys get afterwards is a collection of one-shots relating to this fic. (Don't forget you can suggest ideas!)

So, this what you all were waiting for, the conclusion of Kitty Daze.

* * *

Epilogue

After Daze

Two Years Later

Jonouchi stood in front of the full length mirror trying to decide what outfit to wear. Who knew he would be in a situation like this? Here he was, twenty years old in his boyfriend's bedroom, acting like some girl trying to find the right outfit. It was just another thing to add to the long list of "things not to tell Honda", lest the urge to kill his friend would rise.

"Damn it, Katsuya! Just pick a stupid outfit!" his boyfriend yelled from the bed. "I do not want to deal with you bitching about being late."

"Someone's upset," Jonouchi muttered. "It's not my fault you decided to work so late last night. You have people to help you, Seto. Hell, Tori managed to get people to do their own work. I keep saying she's a crazy psycho girl. No one believes me until it's too late."

Kaiba lifted his head to glare at Jonouchi, only to put it back down, choosing sleep over paying attention to his boyfriend. They have been "officially" together for almost two years. In fact, right after their graduation ceremony, they started their public relationship. They were hoping to keep it secret, but fan girls could never stay silent for long. It was decided that they were to have no more public displays of affection unless they wanted to be mobbed by _their_ fan club. One thing for sure, there was never a shortage of yaoi fan girls in Domino. That idea alone made Jonouchi shiver.

"Okay, let's go!" Jonouchi yelled, waking Kaiba. Kaiba opened his eyes to see Jonouchi in the same exact outfit from Duelist Kingdom. He silently made a promise to burn that outfit as soon as he had the chance.

* * *

Every so often, when their schedules permitted, the gang would meet up at Yuugi's place. It was a way to keep friends in touch and just hang out. Any of their friends, in on the Kaiba brothers' little secret, were allowed to come. Somehow that list grew from two years ago. Ryou, Mai, Otogi, and the Ishtar siblings all knew the truth.

Usually, they would talk about what has been going on in their lives or remembering the past. Kaiba would join in the conversation every so often, but usually favored keeping to himself. No one complained since it was something Kaiba would do. It was the gatherings where Kaiba was sleeping most of the time that made everyone uncomfortable. Jonouchi would just laugh, telling them it was normal for him after working late at night.

Most of the time, the party would last until late at night. By then, Yuugi's mom or Sugoroku would politely kick everyone out. The only ones who were usually exempt from leaving right away were Jonouchi and Kaiba as they didn't have the opportunity to come as much as the rest still in Domino.

Jonouchi laughed with Yuugi and Otogi at some joke Honda made. Anzu already left with Mai, saying something about having a shopping trip the next day. Ryou had a test in one of his history classes early tomorrow, one that he had to study for and still had to call up Malik to make plans for their visit. Kaiba sat on the couch, waking from his nap.

"Man, look at the time!" Honda said. "Totally forgot I'm doing a double shift tomorrow! Hey, can you tell Tori I said hi!"

"Dude, she's not interested," Jonouchi said. "Plus I keep saying she's a crazy psycho!"

"How bad could she be?"

"She carries a kodachi," (1) Otogi said. Jonouchi nodded to confirm. Honda and Yuugi had expressions of surprise and disbelieve on their face. "Thank god she doesn't take it with her to meetings. Which reminds me… I better go as well. I have a meeting tomorrow morning with a certain, how did you put it, crazy psycho? I'll drive Honda home since I doubt he'll snap out of his shock any time soon."

"Good idea," Jonouchi laughed as Otogi led Honda out of the room. "See you two around!" Otogi nodded saying his good byes as well.

"A kodachi?" Yuugi asked.

"Don't worry," Kaiba said. "She prefers using her fist. The sword is only to get her point across. Her words, not mine."

"Well, it's almost time," Jonouchi said. "Thanks for having us over, Yuugi!"

Yuugi nodded. "Of course! Tell Doki-kun and Haru-kun to come over any time!"

"Don't worry, those two brats would come even without an invitation," Kaiba muttered.

A nearby clock chimed, gaining the attention of the three duelists. Jonouchi gave Yuugi a smile as he started to glow. His form changed until he was in his feline form once more.

"We'll see you next month, Yuugi!" Jonouchi yelled as he and Kaiba ran out the window.

"Bye!" Yuugi yelled back, waving from the window smiling. Once again, he was assured his friend was happy. After his days of being a cat, Jonouchi would seem to be daydreaming until graduation. Yuugi softly laughed when he thought of what they called that state.

It was his little kitty daze.

* * *

**Owari**

(1) A kodachi is a sword similar to a wakazashi in shape and size. The difference was that a wakazashi was made to suit a person, so there was no set length. A kodachi was about 2 feet in length and was in compliance with the sword ban of the Edo period of Japan, making it popular with merchants for protection. At least, that's what it says with Wikipedia… It just sounded like something Tori would carry despite her preference of using her fist.

**Random talk:** And that, my friends, is the end of Kitty Daze. I did have a sequel in mind long time ago, but it was getting way too weird after I started to work on this story after so long. I'm sure I told you this long time ago…

Yeah… The last line was a last minute thing as I wanted to some how make the title sense. Really, it was just suppose to be something that was to look cute as I kept thinking that it was about Jonouchi's days of being a cat. Days and daze kinda sounded similar to me, so I just stuck with it. After awhile I realized I had no real reason why I named this fic that. I had to incorporate the play on words to help explain the title.

If you all were wondering, seeing as I can't figure out how to put this little tidbit into a one-shot, Deki eventually gave up on Kaiba after many more years. Even then, Haru had to spell out his feelings to Deki!

Keep your eye out for some one-shots for this story! As of right now, the title will be "Cat Naps". Feel free to leave suggestions as I have about 5 ideas I'm really liking right now.

Rubi-chan, signing off!


End file.
